The Sole Survivor
by TheLoneHero17
Summary: Ringo Yin, an eighteen year old teen, embarks on a quest to search for those responsible for taking the lives of those close to him. Unfortunately, he finds himself caught up in the silly antics of one Team RWBY. OC x Harem. Rated M for strong language and sexual/suggestive themes. DBD Elements. Future lemons.
1. Welcome to Beacon

**Author's Note: So this is my first fanfic that isn't Pokémon on this site. If any of you came from there, just know that I recently got caught in a writers block and I'm making this to freshen things up. Any new readers can go to those stories and get a better taste of my writing style. I only discovered about RWBY at the beginning of summer, but I kinda brushed it off. Recently, I began watching it again and I decided why not make a fanfic about it. I'm barely halfway through volume three because I'm not binge watching it. That said, I will most likely get some things wrong in the RWBY universe. If I do, feel free to correct me. Though, I don't expect to get much attention with my story. Which is fine, I'm merely doing it to freshen up my mind.** **The story itself will have a harem. I'm solid with Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Coco, and Velvet. I'm not too sure about Blake yet. The main character himself will probably, no he _will_ look like a wimp in this chapter. It'll be like that for a while, but he'll warm up to the others eventually. His semblance will be revealed later on and he'll be in action with his weapon. With that unnecessarily long author's note out of the way, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. That is all.**

* * *

The trip to Beacon Academy had finally ended. Dozens of bright, fresh new students exited the ships. Their faces filled with awe and excitement, except for one blonde boy who threw up in a nearby trash can.

Two particular girls boarded off the ship and were in front of the crowd of students. One was a seventeen year old girl with long wavy blonde hair and lilac color eyes. Her name was Yang Xiao Long.

The girl walking beside her was a younger female with short black and red hair and silver eyes. The most noticeable feature was her red hooded cloak that swayed with the wind.

"Wow…" Yang and Ruby were amazed by the sight of Beacon Academy in the distance. It was far grander up close than they imagined.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this!" Yang said, folding her arms under her bust.

Ruby was shaking excitingly. Her eyes turned into sparkles as she took notice of everyone's weapons. "Oh my gosh! Sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!"

Yang eyed her sister strangely while she fawned over the weapons. She jumped in when Ruby unconsciously trailed the girl with the fire sword. Yang grabbed hold of her crimson hoodie and dragged her back.

"Easy there, little sister." Yang ignored Ruby's cries of protest. "They're just weapons."

Ruby felt her left eye twitch. "Just weapons? They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! Oh, they're so cool!" She couldn't help herself. Being the weapon crazy girl she is, Ruby was overjoyed that she was here at Beacon.

"Well, why can't you just swoon over your own weapon?" Yang suggested. "Aren't you happy with it?"

"Of course I'm happy with Crimson Rose!" Ruby transformed her weapon into its scythe form. Some of the students around her flinched when they saw the size of Crimson Rose. "I just really like seeing new ones! It's like meeting new people, but better…"

"Ruby…" Yang chuckled and pulled Ruby's hood down to her face. "Come on! Why don't you try making some friends of your own?" She scanned the area and found just the right person for the job. "Check that guy out for instance."

Ruby turned around to see the person she was pointing at. To her surprise, it was a guy wearing a uniform. If she had to guess, it would have to be the uniform required for all males attending Beacon Academy. Though, the buttons weren't buttoned in, giving her view of his blue vest. His red tie was messily done and was hanging slanted instead of straight.

The guy looked around three or four inches taller than Yang. He had short, messy black hair that went with his fair skin. His eyes were dull blue and there was a faint trace of bags under them.

He seemed to be looking at Beacon Academy. One of his hands was placed at the back of his head. He stared at the magnificent building with a frown on his face.

"I don't know. He's seems out of place from the rest of us," Ruby argued, trying to get out of having to meet him.

"Nonsense!" Yang slapped Ruby's back a bit too hard, almost sending her to the ground. "Yo! Woohoo!" She whistled at the unsuspecting guy. He either didn't hear her or didn't pay her to mind.

"See? He doesn't want to talk." Ruby awkwardly hugged one of her arms.

"Oh, he will." Yang picked up a small rock and flung it at the guy with precise aim.

"Sh-shit!" The guy turned around as soon as the rock hit him and took out his weapon. His face was filled with terror as he held the weapon close to him.

"Language!" Yang narrowed her eyes at the frightened guy while covering Ruby's innocent ears.

Ruby on the other hand, didn't mind his choice of words. Instead, she focused in on his weapon.

He was holding a silver Bo Staff with a white colored grip on the center. There was what appeared to be white molding design inches from the edge that resembled a trigger guard. It may have looked plain but Ruby wasn't the one to judge before seeing what it was fully capable of.

"Neato! Your weapons looks cool!" Ruby rushed towards the bewildered guy and inspected the weapon. "What does it do!? Is it a gun too!? Ooh! Does it have a name!?" She shot questions left and right.

Yang sighed after seeing the uncomfortable gaze on the mysterious person's eyes. She noted that he was clutching his Bo Staff tighter to his chest.

"Ruby! Don't be rude! Introduce yourself!" Yang lightly smacked Ruby's head, eliciting a whine from her. "The name's Yang Xiao Long. Just call me Yang." She winked at the guy. Her eyes taking in his well-tone body. His uniform did nothing to hide it.

"Erm…" The guy shrunk his staff and put it away. Ruby's eyes drooped at this. "Hey… I'm Ringo. Ringo Yin." The newly named Ringo fidgeted his fingers, finding interest in the ground.

"Well, I'm Ruby! Say, can you take out that weapon of yours again?!" Ruby asked eagerly. She was met with silence. This only made her more self conscious on her social skills.

Yang coughed awkwardly. "Yeah. You kinda look older than me. Are you really seventeen?" She was starting to get annoyed from him giving them the silent treatment.

After what seemed like an hour, he responded, "N-no. I'm eighteen. And I don't feel like taking out my weapon right now." His quiet tone made it hard to hear.

"O-oh," Ruby said, dejected.

"Hmm. Since you're wearing the uniform, I assume that you're a second year perhaps? It explains why you're older," Yang guessed. Their eyes widened when Ringo shook his head.

"No. I-I'm a first year… again," Ringo muttered that last part to himself. Ruby managed to hear it though.

"Again? Did you fail? Are the classes really that hard?"

Ringo was more on edge by her questions. His lowered his head. "Y-yes. It isn't what you think though."

Due to his quiet nature, Yang found herself bored. "Well…" A group of people suddenly showed up behind her. "My friends are here now! Gotta go catch up! 'Kay, see ya, bye!" She bolted past Ruby, unknowingly causing her to twirl around several times.

"Wait! Where are you going?! Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we even have dorms?" Luckily in her dazed state, Ringo kept her in place by balancing her straight with his staff.

"I don't know what I'm doing…" Ruby admitted defeat and held on to the weapon that was keeping her balanced. She regained her vision and looked at a worried Ringo. "Thanks. Oh wait! You must know your way around here!"

Ringo was saved by another one of Ruby's twenty questions when a voice yelled at one of them.

"What are you doing!?" A feminine voice snapped. The two turned to the direction of the voice and saw a white haired girl standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Huh?" Ruby had a question mark appear beside her. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Not you!" Her eyes glared daggers at Ringo. "You! Do you have any idea where we are!? Look at you! You look like you just woke up and slapped on some clothes last minute. And are those Beacon Academy uniforms? You're disrespecting Beacon by not wearing it as it should be!"

Ruby listened to her rant, feeling sorry for Ringo.

"Just leave me alone." Ringo closed his eyes, wishing that she would go away. "I-I don't care if you're the heiress, Weiss Schnee."

Weiss was appalled by Ringo's lack of decency.

"Schnee?" Ruby was the odd one out. Her voice interrupted their small quarrel.

"You complete dolt! Have you never heard of the Schnee Dust Company?"

"W-well… I-I…" Ruby was in a pickle. Ringo got over his face and stepped in.

"I'm sure she h-has. Don't b-be rude to her. Your p-problem is with me." Ringo and Weiss' eyes locked into each other. Ruby flashed Ringo a small smile, glad that he stood up for her.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry. Can y-you r-r-repeat th-that?" Weiss mocked, imitating Ringo's stuttering. "Just so you know, this isn't your ordinary combat school. At least look like you care. We're here to fight monsters, so think twice before you mess with someone!" Weiss mentally registered Ringo into her list of people to never speak to again.

It was Ruby's turn to defend him. "Hey! We were minding our own business, princess! Why don't you go mind your own!"

"Like the guy said, it's heiress." A new voice made themselves known. It was another girl. This time with auburn eyes and long black hair. She had a ribbon tied with a large bow on top of her head. "Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Weiss smirked arrogantly. "Finally! Some recognition!"

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners," The girl finished with no emotion on her face.

"What? How dare you!" Weiss realized that she was outnumbered now. "Ugh!" Ruby giggled as Weiss stormed off to the path of Beacon.

Ringo's eyes hovered on the unnamed girl's bow. "C-cat…" A longing expression replaced his upset features.

The girl's eyes shot open. "H-how did you…" She didn't give Ringo a chance to explain. She ran off in a blink of an eye.

"I promise I'll make it up to you!" Ruby hollered, not seeing the interaction. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day. So what's your…" Ruby was disappointed that the girl wasn't behind her anymore.

"She left," Ringo informed her. His posture straightened. "I-I'm sorry you had to deal with her because of me. I just makes things worse. Sorry."

Ruby's eyes softened from his apology. "There's no need to be sorry. I couldn't let Weiss get away with making fun of you. You stood up for me so it's only fair if I did the same."

The two of them shared a smile. Ruby was pleased that Ringo broke out of his shell while he himself was surprised by Ruby's kindness.

"It wasn't fair that I ignored you when we first met. Leia taught me better." Ringo shook his head and offered Ruby his hand. "Let's start over. I'm Ringo Yin."

Ruby didn't bother to question who Leia was. She happily shook Ringo's hand. "Ruby Rose. And hey, you didn't stutter!"

Ringo's face flushed a little. "I was just nervous. I thought that I was under attack. You see, I try my best to avoid other people. I don't want to make a fool out of myself." He patted his thigh twice, which Ruby noted with curiosity. "But you're different. I don't know why, but I can feel it."

"That's sounds good. I think." Ruby wasn't sure if being different was a good or bad thing. "I can tell you were jumpy from the start. You whipped out your weapon faster than I could blink!" She chortled.

Ringo gripped the staff when she mentioned it. He took it out of its holster and got it out of its sheath mode. "You looked interested in my weapon. Here, you can hold it." He tossed the bo staff at Ruby.

She caught it and cooed at the feeling of his weapon. It was strangely comfortable in her hands. Her eyes wandered over to the grip in the middle.

"Vinny?" She read the letters with confusion written on her face. "Is that the name of your weapon? A bit strange if you ask me."

Ringo frowned. "It's not strange to me. I actually didn't name it until about halfway through the year." He stopped talking and stared at Vinny.

"May I ask why you named it Vinny?"

"No." Ringo's blunt answer surprised Ruby.

 _'Geez. This guy really is strange.'_ Ruby thought in her head. One minute he goes from being nervous, than he was nice, and finally he was cold. She wondered if this was how everyone acted.

Ruby handed back Vinny. Ringo put it back in its holster and spoke, "It can change into dual wield pistols too, but it's not that impressive to show," He said sheepishly.

"Don't be silly! Any weapon is impressed depending on how you use it. Though, Crescent Rose is more impressive than any weapon in Remnant!" She held out Crescent Rose and raised it in all its glory.

"Woah!" Ringo stumbled back and fell on his butt. Normally, Ruby would laugh at this but something was off. His eyes were glued on Crescent Rose. "W-warn me when you do that!" He said angrily.

 _'Now he's angry again.'_ Ruby internally sighed and she put her scythe away. Ringo's body visibly relaxed when she did this.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hand reach out for him. With a shrill gasp, Ringo grabbed the hand and flipped over the person.

"Ow…" The person that Ringo flipped was a tall boy with blonde hair. He had armor plates on his chest and shoulders.

"Hey! It's that guy who threw up on the ship! Vomit Boy!" Ruby recognized him from the ride to Beacon.

Vomit Boy was still laying on the ground. "Motion sickness is more common than you think. And what gives? I was just trying to lend you a hand." He picked himself up hastily.

"S-sorry. I don't like it when people sneak up on me," Ringo muttered an apology. He avoided eye contact with Vomit Boy.

"Duly noted," Vomit Boy groaned.

Ruby shuffled her feet at the awkward atmosphere around them. She and Ringo were bad with new people. That left Vomit Boy to carry out the conversation.

"Anyway, the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it!" Jaune bragged, smirking.

"Do they?" Ruby replied, skeptical by his claim.

Jaune faltered. "They will! Well, I-I hope they will. My mom always says…" He stopped himself, rethinking his choice of words. "Never mind."

Ruby giggled, "I'm Ruby. The guy that totally destroyed you is Ringo." Ringo awkwardly waved at Jaune.

"Destroyed me? I-I was just caught off guard! Yeah! That's it! It's not like I don't know how to fight properly or anything! Haha!" Jaune laughed boisterously. Ringo and Ruby exchanged glances with each other and shrugged.

Jaune stopped laughing and eyed Ringo's form. "Are you a second year? You look older than Ruby and I. That's great! You can show me... erm I mean _us_ your ways!" Jaune was rejoicing on the inside. Ringo seemed familiar with Beacon. That meant that he could help him out with homework and keep him caught up on what training and combat exercises were like.

"I'm a first year." Jaune face faulted at that. "Y-you seem like a nice guy. And you don't look like a threat…"

"Gak!" Jaune felt an invisible force strike his pride.

"I-I'm sorry that I flipped you over. I thought I was being attacked."

 _'He said that last time too. He must really be on edge when he feels threatened.'_ Ruby observed carefully. _'Or it could just be a bad case of paranoia.'_

Ringo held out his hand. "I-I'll be glad to teach you some things if you're up for it. They're bound to repeat what they taught us last year. Guess I'm ahead."

"Really? Cool!" Jaune shook his hand firmly. The three began to walk to the enormous academy. An awkward period of silence passed them as they walked. Ringo was okay with this. He looked all over the area, appearing to trying to look for something.

Since she was a fanatic of weapons, Ruby thought it'd be best to talk about that. "So… I got this thing!" She completely forgot about Ringo's feelings towards Crescent Rose and showed it to Jaune.

"Woah! Is that a scythe!?" Jaune was impressed by the weapon.

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"

"A… what?" Jaune's confusion amused Ruby greatly. What didn't amuse her was the fact that Ringo was glaring at her. Or so she thought. In reality, he was glaring at the scythe in her hands. Ruby quietly put her weapon away.

"So, what have you got?"

Ringo spared Jaune's sword a glance before continuing on his own. It wasn't like he hated Jaune, he was a good dude. The fact of the matter was that he wasn't up with interacting with the new students.

"Ozpin has to be around here. I got to see if the old dorm is still mine." Ringo didn't notice someone walking up to him. He was too immersed in his thoughts.

"Ringo! It's great to see you again! Honestly, I was worried that you wouldn't be back after what happened…" A girl faunas with bunny ears came with her team. She got a bit too excited and ran towards the teen.

This was Velvet Scarlatina, a rabbit faunas. Accompanying her was her teammates, Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, and Yatsuhashi Daichi. They were known as Team CFVY.

Velvet's ears flopped down because Ringo wasn't paying any attention to her. She let out a sad whimper. Coco saw this and marched up to Ringo.

"Yo, Ringo! Velvet was talking to you!" Coco smacked the back of his head. She regretted doing it as Ringo instantly snatched her hand and squeezed it forcefully. "Ouch! Let go!"

"Huh?" Ringo let go of the hand once he heard who's voice it belonged to. He tilted his head to the side and gazed at the fuming Coco.

"Oh so now you hear me? Here's one more for trying to hurt my delicate hand!" Coco smacked her handbag across Ringo's cheek. She crossed her arms and faced the other way with a huff.

"Coco!" Velvet checked to make sure that he was okay.

"Coco! Was that really necessary?" Yatsuhashi questioned after he made sure Ringo wasn't too hurt.

"Yes! Don't you go taking his side now! I'm team leader, remember?" Coco glowered at her tall teammate. Yatsuhashi bit back a retort, not wanting to stir an argument.

Fox chuckled, "I see you're still as jumpy as the last time we met up."

Ringo brushed Velvet's hand away. He slouched his shoulders. "Do you blame me?" Team CFVY knew the true meaning behind his words and pitied the teen. Even Coco felt guilty for her actions.

Velvet consoled him by giving him a hug. "School is just starting. Don't make it a bad start. We're still here for you." She let go and eyed him cautiously.

Ringo sighed, "I know. I know. It's just hard, you know? I almost thought about not coming last second. But it doesn't matter. I came anyway." He quickly changed the topic. "Sorry about that Coco. Didn't think you turned soft."

Coco socked him on the shoulder hard. "Shut it. The day I turn soft is the day Velvet actually musters up the courage to ask you-"

"Shh!" Velvet covered her leader's mouth with her hand. A furious blush danced on her cheeks.

"Ask me what?" Ringo asked curiously.

"Ah!" Velvet squeaked. Her blushed deepened when Ringo stared her down.

"That doesn't matter right now." Coco saved Velvet from what could've been disaster. "You missed classes for about a month. You better have gotten stronger. It isn't much fun when I beat you down and you just stand there letting me do it." She expressed her irrational clearly.

Ever since the incident, Ringo never fought seriously during matches. It made Coco want to pull on her hair whenever she watched him lose every single battle. Even Velvet beat him. He went from being one of the top students to the lowest.

"I did. But I won't really be in any of your classes anymore so I doubt that we'll get to fight in front of the class anymore." Ringo had to take a few steps back when Coco clenched her fists angrily.

 _'Oh flip! I forgot to tell them!'_

"What do you mean you won't be in our classes anymore?" Velvet was the one to speak. The sadness in her voice made Ringo feel more awful for not telling them sooner. Fox and Yatsuhashi were also upset by what he was implying.

Coco lowered her sunglasses so that Ringo could see the anger in her eyes. "Yes Ringo, what do you mean by that?"

Ringo sweatdropped at the predicament in hand. "W-well, what had happened was… I-I kinda got… held back." Immediately after he was done, Coco whacked him on the forehead with her handbag and proceeded to tackle him down and continue using her handbag as a punching tool.

"You damn idiot! What on earth gave you guys the idea that you should hold out on the information until the day you came back for the new school year!? I can't believe you! Ugh!" Coco gave him one final kick. She stood up and readjusted her beret.

"Velvet, Fox, Yatsuhashi, as team leader I hereby ban all of you from seeing Ringo until I'm satisfied with his apology," Coco ordered.

"You can't-" Velvet went to protest but stopped when Coco put her hand out forward.

"I can and I will. We won't see much of him anyway with the new arrangements. He knows how to properly make it up to me. I'm dating the idiot after all." Coco straightened her clothes and walked off without another word. Fox and Yatsuhashi hesitantly followed.

"Coco…" Ringo mumbled. "Ugh." His head hit the ground and he rested there for a minute.

"Goodbye Ringo." Velvet wasn't sure if he even heard her in his state. Regardless, she quickly went after her teammates, leaving the teen by himself.

 _'Same old Coco.'_ Ringo's senses were on high alert when a hand reached out for him. He grabbed it and flipped the threat over.

"Not again!" Jaune cried out.

"Ringo! It's just us!" Ruby snapped him back to his senses. "You ditched us! We have no idea where to go! You're our only hope!"

"What she said." Jaune got back up and stood by Ruby.

Ringo rubbed the back of his neck shyly. "Do you really not know? All the other newbies are going to the right direction."

Ruby and Jaune looked at each other and then at the group of new students from afar.

"W-we know that! We just needed clarification is all." Ruby smiled nervously.

"You really are different. Most of the other people in my year have been avoiding me. But you, you actually want to be around me," Ringo finished with a small smile. Ruby's face heated up by the compliment.

"Avoiding you? You're like the only person that's willing to help us out! You're good in my book," Jaune added in with a thumbs up.

"Hehe. Thanks." Ringo grinned bashfully. "Maybe now Coco will get off my back about making new friends."

The three continued their walk to the academy while talking.

"Who's Coco?" Ruby asked innocently.

Ringo winced and put a hand over the spot that Coco hit him with. "She's a second year student now. My old te… we've known each other since initiation last year. She's leader of Team CFVY. I'm positive you'll meet them later on."

"So you already passed the initiation? Mind giving me… us! Us any hints?" Jaune pleaded.

"Sorry. Ozpin doesn't want me spoiling anything. I have to redo the initiation. Something about proving that I should still be here. I'm lucky that Ozpin gave me another chance. I'll be sure to not waste it!" Ringo said with a fiery passion in his eyes.

"I'll be sure that you'll understand the work," Ruby teased.

"That wasn't why I didn't get promoted," Ringo muttered quietly under his breath. "The work itself isn't that hard if you actually pay attention in class."

"Yang is going to have a rough year then," Ruby snickered.

"What about the fighting?" Jaune piped in anxiously.

"Everyone got into Beacon because they're strong and highly resourceful. I imagine the fighting will be intense. Who knows, maybe you newbies will surprise me." Ruby offered him a challenging stare, to which he returned.

"Yeah… we'll surprise you alright," Jaune said sadly. He looked at his shield and sword. Then his eyes went to Ringo. "How good were you?"

"I was undefeated for a whole semester," He boasted. His arms and head dropped. "Then I lost every battle afterwards."

"Wait wait wait. You're telling us that you were on a hot streak and suddenly just lost it?" Ruby was stupefied. How someone went from winning every match to losing every match was beyond her.

"Don't remind me." Ringo hid his face in shame. His quiet side coming out fiercely.

Jaune's eyes sparkled. "So does that mean I have a chance to beat you!?" Ruby elbowed him in the gut.

"Rude!"

"I-I guess you can with vigorous training. I'm focused on getting serious and making the most out of my second chance." During his month off, Ringo found something that completely flipped his world upside down. It was what led him back to Beacon.

"Vigorous training? Shoot," Jaune grumbled.

The three made it to the entrance of Beacon's auditorium. There were several students already in there. The place was packed. Jaune couldn't see an open area from where he was at.

"Ruby!" Yang called to her sister. She waved her hand high. "I saved you a spot!"

"O-oh!" Ruby turned to Jaune and Ringo. "Hey, I got to go. I'll see you two after the ceremony!"

"Hey! Wait!" Jaune reached out for her, but she was already too far. "Ah great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to!? Well, at least you're still…" He slapped a hand over his forehead when he realized that Ringo was gone too. "There goes the quiet, jumpy guy. Now I'm really lost." He trudged forward, not aware that a redhead girl was keeping an eye on him.

Ringo had his back pressed against the wall. He was at the very back of the auditoriums. That way, he'd have a view of everyone.

"Beacon's a very secured place. No one will ambush you, Ringo. Ozpin won't let it happen." Ringo kept on reassuring himself. They tightened the security this year. It relieved Ringo that Ozpin was listening to his worries.

"You!" Ringo jumped a bit when he heard Weiss shout. It seemed that she managed to find Ruby in the crowd and was now scolding her harshly. "Best not to involve myself. She has her yellow haired friend with her."

It was in his best interest to avoid conflict. Especially during the first day. He still couldn't believe that he talked down the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. Ringo half expected to be taken down by guards of the Schnee family. It was quite shocking that she didn't have any. She only had helpers who moved her many suitcases and wardrobe.

 _'Perhaps Weiss Schnee isn't as spoiled as I thought of her to be.'_ An exclamation mark appeared above his head when Weiss' head snapped to his direction. She glared at him dead in the eye.

"Shit!" Ringo made a run for it when she started to stomp closer to him. His body crashed into another, knocking them both down.

"Dude! Seriously! That's the third time!" Jaune growled in irritation.

"S-sorry…" Ringo helped the blonde hair teen up. It proved to be a mistake because Weiss finally caught up to him.

"Found you!"

"Ah!" Ringo jumped into Jaune's arms. Jaune let out a pained groan and fell with Ringo in his arms.

"Up!" Weiss commanded. For some reason, Ringo got up immediately. "Honestly. I don't understand why you run when I'm trying to help you."

"Help me?" Ringo froze stiff as a statue. Weiss had leaned in close to fix his tie. He could practically smell the expensive perfume that was radiating off her body. Her hands then went to button up his suit.

 _'Don't think naughty thoughts. Don't think naughty thoughts. Don't think naughty thoughts or else Coco will let you have it! Remember what happened with Velvet!'_ He reminded himself, clenching his fists. After Weiss was done, he opened his eyes.

"Is that all you wanted to do? J-just to fix up my uniform?"

"Obviously! I thought you would've fixed it after I pegged you about it! Don't you have any battle clothing to wear? Or anything causal?" Weiss demanded, poking her finger on Ringo's chest hard.

"Erm… well I sorta burned my battle clothes. I-I lost my suitcase on the way here. I'm stuck with my uniform," He said in a low voice. Jaune looked on at the two conversing with a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

Headmaster Ozpin's voice broke their conversation. "I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." Ringo could've sworn that Ozpin's eyes were looking over at his direction.

"You assume that knowledge will free you from of this, but your time at this school will prove knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step," Ozpin finished his speech. He plodded off the stage with his cane as support.

The woman beside him took over. "You will gather in this ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." The assembly ended. Students began to wander around the ballroom to get set for the night.

"He seemed kind of… off." Yang came over and voiced her opinion.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there." Ruby joined her half sister.

"I'm a natural blonde, you know!" Jaune chipped in, mainly for Weiss. Weiss sighed and put her hand over her face. She inched closer to Ringo in an attempt to get away from Jaune.

"I might as well see how the old dorm is doing." Ringo excused himself from the group. Of course, they weren't going to let him go away just yet.

"What? You got your own dorm while we have to sleep on the ballroom floor?" Ruby pouted cutely.

"You got your own dorm?" Yang inquired, saying what was on Jaune and Weiss' mind. "You _so_ have to let us crash with you! Then we can stay up and no one would complain!"

"Absolutely not!" Weiss argued. "All of us first years must follow the rules as instructed by Professor Goodwitch."

"Party pooper." Weiss scowled at the grinning Yang.

"Okay. I'll just be going…" Ringo's retreat was halted when Yang grabbed his arm. His instincts kicked in and he pulled her in, pinning her arm behind her back.

"Woah there, Ring boy! If you wanted to get close then you could've just asked." Yang slipped out of his grasp. "Except you almost touch my hair there for a sec. I'm warning you now, don't even try it." Her eyes flickered red for a brief second before reverting back to lilac.

Ringo didn't reply to that and kept walking. Jaune went the opposite direction where the dining hall was at.

Yang whispered something in Ruby's ear. The younger girl's face blushed as red as her cloak.

"N-no! Gross, Yang!" Weiss quirked an eyebrow, wondering what exactly Yang said to get Ruby so flustered.

"Come on, Ruby! It'd be foolish if we don't take this opportunity to spy on him when he's changing! I mean, did you look at those muscles?" Ruby swatted Yang's hands away from her and stomped her foot childishly.

"No!"

Yang was quite disappointed in her. "Fine. I'll go on my own." She quietly tiptoed a good distance from Ringo and followed him.

"Yang!"

"You dolt!" Ruby and Weiss hissed. Yang caught up to the black haired teen and slung an arm around his shoulder.

"Your friend has to be the most immature person I've ever met!" Weiss barked at the poor girl.

"She's my sister," Ruby told her.

"Whatever she is to you, we have to go and stop her from doing anything crazy." Weiss was already ahead of her.

"First day… no one told me it would be this stressful."

* * *

A few minutes passed and Yang was happily talking to the uncomfortable Ringo.

"I'm just saying, my sister Ruby would totally want to hang out with you sometime in the future. _Alone_. Hehe." Yang was proud of her masterplan to play matchmaker for her little sister. Although he was a bit on the anxious side, Ringo seemed like a good dude. Plus, they'd have her blessing. It was an offer too good to pass up.

"Isn't she like three years younger than me?" Ringo wanted to desperately go hide in a bush. Anything would beat having to listen to Yang try to hook him up with Ruby.

"So? She got accepted into Beacon two years early! Already mature enough … it makes me cry because she's growing up so fast!" Yang gained a teary face and used Ringo's shoulder as a handkerchief.

Ringo began to sweat when he noticed people staring at the two. "That's great and all but… I already have a girlfriend."

"What?" Yang's eyes turned into dots.

"At least, I hope I still do. Coco and I haven't gone on a date in two months. Oh man! Maybe she did break up with me without telling me! That sounds just like Coco!" Ringo was in a state of panic. Yang didn't care, even if she might've gave him the hard truth of his relationship unintentionally.

"Cool! So you're single now." Yang patted Ringo on the head. "And so is my sis-"

"Yang! Ringo! Wait up!" Ruby raced over to the two, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. She took notice of Ringo's sadness. "Yang! What did you do?"

"Me?! What makes you think I did anything?" Yang placed a hand over her chest, offended.

"Ringo! What did she do?" Ruby ignored her sister's questions.

"Your sister is cruel. Reminds me of Yatsuhashi. He actually tried to make me go out and find… friends." Ruby and Ringo shuddered at the thought

"You two dorks would dread something like that." Yang gripped Ruby's shoulders and pushed her closer to Ringo. "That makes you two perfect for each other."

"Yang!" Ruby shoved the giggling blonde and adored a red face.

 _'Man. These new first years are weird.'_ Ringo thought back to the people he had met so far. That being Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake, and Jaune. He wondered if he'd meet anyone that wasn't so unruly.

"Hello? I'm talking to you!" Weiss snapped her fingers repeatedly. "Ugh! It's like talking to a brick wall."

"I know what to do!" Yang grabbed a small rock from the ground. Ruby quickly slapped the rock out of her hand.

"Don't! Remember what happened last time?" Ruby pulled out a megaphone out of nowhere. "RINGO!" She yelled through the megaphone.

Yang and Weiss had time to cover their ears. Ringo was the odd one out and was forced to suffer through the loud sound.

"Gah!" Ringo's ears were temporarily unable to hear. He flipped around and saw Weiss scolding Ruby, while the latter poked her index fingers together.

 _'These people are going to be the end of me!'_ Ringo escaped from the three arguing girls and bolted inside the dormitory building.

There were four floors in the dormitory building. The first floor were for first years, the second floor for second years, and so on. Seeing how he was a first year again, Ringo assumed that his dorm wouldn't be messed with.

Sure enough, the plaque on the door was still there. Ringo stared at it for a minute, memories of last year flooding in his mind. He pushed those thoughts away and entered the dorm.

Ringo would call his dorm quite boring. There wasn't much to it. His bed was dead smack in the center. Three other beds were smushed next to each other in the corner. There wasn't any bookcases or posters.

The only piece of furniture in the room was a dresser. On top of that lay a cage that was inhabited by a Campbell's dwarf hamster. He was running in his hamster wheel, getting his daily dose of exercise.

"I'm back... Silver Jr. Did Velvet treat you alright?" Silver Jr. squeaked happily, earning a chuckle from Ringo. "Good. I can always count on that sweet girl."

Ringo collapsed on his bed and stared at the ceiling. "I hope the initiation is identical to the one from last year. Hell, it'll be a good way to freshen up my skills."

Meanwhile, Ruby, Yang, and Weiss entered the building and were immediately lost. There were many doors in the first floor. The area was quiet, most likely because the first years weren't even supposed to be here yet.

"Which room is his?" Yang didn't wait for a response and proceeded to open one of the doors.

"Yang! Cut it out! We aren't even supposed to be here!" Weiss badgered her to stop.

"Let's just head back to the ballroom," Ruby agreed. She didn't want to be in trouble on the first day.

"You two go on ahead. Ring boy interests me. Hey, since you don't want him Ruby then maybe I'll take him for myself~" Yang laughed strangely.

"I don't like him! See if I care!" Ruby turned around and gave her sister the cold shoulder. Yang didn't mind one bit and continued her search for Ringo.

"Come on Ruby, or are you as imposing as your sister? Weiss was making her way to the exit.

Ruby's eyes sharpened. "Don't talk about Yang like that. And maybe I am as imposing as her." She only said that to get into the heiress' skin. It worked.

Weiss gritted her teeth. "Fine! Don't blame me when you two get in trouble." The heiress slammed the door shut, making Ruby flinch a little.

"Here we are! This one is the only one with a plaque!" Yang exclaimed gleefully. Ruby was at her side in the matter of seconds. Both were eyeing the plaque that read:

 **Team SLVR**

"Drats. We do get assigned teams. The rumors were true. We don't even get Ring boy with us." Yang and Ruby were upset for different reasons. The former being upset that Ringo was taken while the latter being upset that she had to be in a team with other people.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard coming down the stairs from the second floor.

"Crud! We got to go Ruby!" Yang grabbed Ruby by the cloak and dragged her to the exit.

They waited outside for over ten minutes. Then, Ringo came bursting out the door with an upset expression on his face. In his hands was a cage with a cute hamster in it and a plague resting on the cage.

"Ringo! What happened?" Ruby asked after gushing over the hamster.

"I got kicked out by Ozpin himself," Ringo answered gruffly. "He told me I have to be with all of the other first years."

"Makes sense. Where are your other teammates anyway? Did they get promoted and leave you behind?" Yang pondered.

Ringo forced back a scowled. "Something like that." For a moment, a spark flickered in his eyes. Luckily, it was caught by no one.

"Looks like you're stuck with us~" Yang joked. Her and Ruby laughed, but Ringo stayed silent.

"Who's this little fella?" Ruby put her finger through the hamster cage to touch the little creature. The hamster scratched her finger, eliciting a cry of pain from the younger teen.

"Ow!" Ruby sucked on her finger, hoping to stop the pain.

 _'That little demon attacked me!'_ Ruby glared at the hamster. What sent chills down her spine was when the hamster glared right back.

"Sorry. Silver Jr. doesn't like strangers."

"Like owner, like pet," Yang said mischievously.

Ringo shook his head. "He's not mine. I'm watching him for… for a friend of mine. I guess he technically is under my care now. I've been watching him for over six months now."

"What!? Does his owner not care about him? What a meanie!" Ruby showed sympathy for the hamster despite it scratching her.

"Yep. He sure was a meanie." Ringo didn't speak for the rest of the trip. Ruby and Yang didn't mind and talked amongst themselves.

The three made it to the ballroom. It was around dinner time and most of the students left for the dining hall and left their sleeping bags on the ground. Ringo found a nice spot near the staircase and sat down, backed pressed against the wall. He put the hamster cage on his lap and stared at Silver Jr. drinking water from his bottle.

He heard two bodies slump down right in front of him. Ringo peered up and observed Yang and Ruby.

"What are you doing?"

"We're bunking next to you. Duh," Yang said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?" Ringo was getting suspicious. "You two have been following me all day. What do you want?" His shoulders tensed. His weapon was slowly slipping out of its holster.

"You~" Yang purred. Ringo had more of a reason to fish out his weapon at any second. "And because Ruby needs a friend that isn't her strong, awesome sister." He put Vinny back after her reasoning.

"Yang!"

"Don't pout, little sister. We can talk over it during dinner. You coming, Ring boy?" Yang and Ruby were ready to head in the dining hall. They lingered around to see if Ringo would be joining them.

"No thanks. I had a big lunch before you newbies came. I'll just sit tight here and make sure no one steals our spot," He replied, focusing back on Silver Jr.

Yang shrugged, "If you say so."

The two sisters were in the dining hall for about forty minutes. They ate and then got changed for bed with all the other students. They came back and saw that Ringo remained seated on the floor, gazing into the hamster cage.

"What's so interesting about that darn hamster? You got two cute girls in front of you and you still choose that rodent over us?" Yang shoved the blushing Ruby to her sleeping bag, opting not to let Ruby speak.

"To be fair, I don't even know a hair about you two." Ringo put the cage to the side and tucked his knees close to his chest. "I guess now is a good time as any. Tell me about yourself, Ruby."

Ruby was taken aback that Ringo was more interested in her than Yang. Yang herself nudged Ruby's shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows. Ruby did what was natural in her own right.

She hid behind her sister.

"Nice chat." Ringo went back to fiddling with the toys in Silver Junior's cage.

Yang pulled Ruby a good distance away and berated her actions. "Ruby! There goes your chance at making a new friend and potential boyfriend!" Ruby chucked one of her pillows at Yang's face.

"It's not my fault! You made me nervous with your shoulder nudging and eyebrow wigging! And for the last time, I have no interest in Ringo!" Ruby dramatically fell to the side. Funny enough, Yang mimicked her actions.

"It's like a big slumber party." Yang caught the sight of Jaune wearing light blue footie pajamas. He waved at her, causing some of the shirtless guys to laugh at both of them. "Though I'm sure no one would invite him." She buried her face in her pillow, utterly humiliated in front of _'hot guys.'_

"I don't know. Maybe you should try and _be his friend_." She imitated her sister's own words against her. "It's not fair. I didn't get to take my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

Seeing her distraught, Yang placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "What about Jaune? He's… nice. There you go! Plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!" Yang playfully tussled Ruby's hair.

"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to zero…" Ruby sighed, dejected.

"Not true! Ring boy's your friend whether you like it or not. Even if he's on the paranoid side. Plus one friend again!"

"I don't know…" The two glanced back at Ringo, who pressed his head against the cage and tried to go to sleep. "Poor Ringo. He got kicked out of his dorm. He doesn't even have a sleeping bag to sleep in."

Yang developed an evil smile. "Just share yours~" Ruby threw a dog face pillow at her, but with greater force than the last.

The crimson haired girl brought her sleeping bag closer to Ringo's spot. The male teen opened an eye to see her smiling bashfully.

"Yes? Silver Jr. and I are trying to sleep." Silver Jr. had a mini night cap on his head. Ruby thought that this was cute.

"You can't sleep like that. Your back will be all sore during initiation. Don't you have anything more suited to sleep with?"

Ringo chuckled dryly and set the cage to the side for good. He laid down on his side and rested his chin on his hand.

"Not really. I lost my suitcase on the way here so all I really have is the uniform." He unbuttoned his suit and took off his tie. They were gently placed near the hamster cage, neatly folded. He then proceeded to remove his blue vest and grouped it with his other clothing. "You don't mind me taking off my shirt, do you?" The only reason he said this was because he took her age into consideration.

"N-no…" Ruby responded quietly. She watched anxiously as Ringo unbuttoned his dress shirt. His now exposed chest visible for her to see.

Yang wolf whistled as she laid back down on her sleeping bag. Ruby's eyes were glued to his well toned body. Her youthful innocence shyly emerging.

"Much better. That tie was getting annoying." Yang tossed him one of Ruby's pillows just before his head landed on the ground. "Thanks. Goodnight," Ringo yawned, his fatigue setting its course.

 _'I can rest safely today. Too much witnesses here. With the initiation tomorrow, I do need my energy.'_

The two sisters were surprised that Ringo fell asleep so quick. Just when they were about to turn in, a familiar heiress' voice could be heard yelling at someone to blow out their candle as it was a distraction.

"Fine, heiress." Ruby recognized the voice to be the girl who she met earlier. She didn't have time to get a glimpse of her. The light from the candle went out. The ballroom was now dark. Too dark for anyone to see.

"Finally." Weiss was about to head back to her own sleeping bag until another ruckus got her attention.

Apparently, Silver Jr. thought it'd be a good idea to get some last minute exercise by running on his wheel. The squeaks and creeks irritated Weiss so much that it led her to go and find the source of the sound.

"Whoever is making that noise, some people are trying to sleep! Don't let me see it's you when I get over there!" The noise didn't stop. Weiss was getting closer and closer to the noise. She probably would've kicked Silver Junior's cage out the window if it wasn't for her tripping on one of the pillows that Ruby bopped Yang's face with. It was too dark for her to see where exactly she was.

"Eep!" Weiss tumbled to the ground, unknowingly falling right beside Ringo. "What the heck was-" Her voice cut off suddenly. Ruby and Yang were curious to find out what was going on.

"Coco… you're still as feisty as ever. That's what I like about you~"

"Nng! Let go of me, you idiot! I'm not Coco!"

As it turned out, Ringo unconsciously went for Weiss' form, believing it to be Coco. The heiress tried desperately to escape his hold but failed.

"Ruby! Yang!" Weiss could make out the two due to how close they were. Her eyes begged them to help her.

Ruby shrugged, not knowing what to do during the situation. Yang had Cheshire cat grin on her face. She turned around and fell asleep. Silver Jr. stopped running and soon hit the hay too.

"Sorry," Ruby whispered. She honestly had no clue on how to get Weiss free. She closed her eyes, wanting her first day of Beacon to be over. There were some ups and downs. Nonetheless, it was stressful and she wanted the day to be over.

"You dolts! You'll pay for th… nng!" Ringo squeezed her tighter. Weiss sported a full blown blush when her face was pressed into his chest. She felt his hand caress the long white hair that she let all the way down.

"You finally grew out your hair? Don't worry, I love you as much as you love your accessories~" Ringo placed a small kiss on Weiss' forehead and stopped talking in his sleep.

 _'I can't believe it has really come down to this. Who even is this guy? He went from a stuttering mess to a charmer in his sleep. I just want out!'_ Weiss screamed in her head. Her eyes softened at the kiss placed on her forehead. His hand kept petting her soft white hair, strangely giving her a sense of comfort.

All her life, she was isolated in her house. She had to know everything there was about dust. There was no playtime or making friends. The only touch she felt was with her father, and even then that was only when she was a toddler. Even if Ringo was basically forcing her to be close to him, she knew deep down that he wasn't the type to do this sort of thing when conscious.

 _'Well, unless if it's with this Coco character.'_

Her cheek connected with his chest. Her eyes started to get sleepy.

 _'Either way, he's so going to get it in the morning. But for now…'_ Weiss relaxed in Ringo's embrace. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

And thus marked the end of the first day of Beacon Academy.

* * *

 **Second Author's Note: Yeah, I do second notes just to recap on the chapter. I hope I got their personalities at least decent. Ringo pretty much is a wimp in this chapter, but that'll go away soon, maybe. As for his Team, they have already all been mentioned. If you squint hard enough, you'll get all three first names. It took me at least two hours to get names that follow the color rule. Anyway, the next chapter will be initiation and all that. Ringo's skills will come into play. And maybe the reason as to why he's still a first year. I don't have a specific date for the next chapter but there'll definitely be one next month. Stay tuned.**


	2. Initiation

**Author's Note: I'm focusing on this story a bit more since I'm having a lot of fun with it. Not much romance this chapter. I changed things up so the initiation will be different from others. His semblance will be further explained in the end. Enjoy the chapter.**

 **To Guest: I'll add Blake to the harem. It'll be a while until they fully interact though.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. 'Kay?**

* * *

It was around six o'clock in the morning. Some students were up, either getting breakfast or preparing for initiation.

Ringo shifted in his sleep. He was beginning to wake up. His eyes were brimming open. The first thing that he saw was Silver Junior's hamster cage. The hamster himself was deep in slumber. Ringo thought that it was cute seeing the little guy sleep.

For some odd reason, his arms were wrapped around something with a firm grip. Ringo squeezed whatever was in his arms, not recognizing what he was hugging by touch.

 _'It's too hard to be a pillow.'_ His hands wandered further up the mysterious object. He gently grasped on a soft fleshy orb. Confusion rang its course. Ringo continued squeezing whatever was in his hand. A small moan came from beside him. At that, Ringo's body stiffened.

 _'Is… is this Coco? Than that means whatever I'm touching must be her… shit!'_ Ringo found an error in his theory. _'No. Coco's breasts are bigger than this. Wait! This is a completely different girl! Shit! Coco's going to kick my ass when she finds out!'_ His internal conflict was high, high enough that it caused his eyes to shoot wide open. He looked down to distinguish who he was groping.

It was Weiss. Weiss Schnee. He was groping Weiss freaking Schnee. She was cuddled up next to him. Her head was gently tucked near his shoulder. Weiss' face looked peaceful while she slept next to Ringo.

Naturally, Ringo's reaction was one that other people would share when they found out that they were sleeping with an heiress.

"What in the actual fuck are you doing!?" Ringo cried out, jumping up from his sleeping position. His back was pressed against the wall, heart beating rapidly. The cry alone, woke about half of the students in the ballroom. Even poor little Silver Jr. awoke from the yell.

Weiss jolted up by the noise. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Her hazy vision slowly regaining itself.

"Shut up!" In her sleep, Yang threw a pillow at the direction of the voice. However, because it was in her sleep, she missed terribly and hit the back of Weiss' head instead.

The hit to the pillow fully woke her up. Her eyes sharpened and she was ready to scold the first person she came in contact with. That person just so happened to be the red faced Ringo a few feet in front of her.

"Y-y-you pervert!" Ringo pointed an accusing finger at a now appalled Weiss. "Why the hell were you pressed up against me while I was sleeping!?" His face turned even redder when he remembered that he groping her breast. That part he was willing to leave out. In his defense, he thought it was Coco. Weiss wouldn't be willing to hear him out.

"I'm the pervert!? You're the one who trapped me in your arms! I was forced to sleep next to you! If anything, you're the pervert!" She fired back with animosity.

Yang shook Ruby's shoulders and steadily woke her up. Ruby's was forced to sit up straight by her sister. That's when she gazed upon the argument going on between Weiss and Ringo.

"This is getting good!" Yang exclaimed, holding a small bag of popcorn. Ruby didn't approve of her choice of breakfast. Nevertheless, she watched the action unfold.

"Now that I think about it, I remember feeling someone in my arms last night. But I thought that was Coco! Why didn't you say anything, Schnee!?" Ringo wasn't his usual quiet self this morning. Nope, he was annoyed by the events.

"Drag her, Ring boy! Show her who's boss!" Yang cheered for Ringo. She was glad that she was seeing a new side of him.

Weiss was offended that Ringo referred to her by her last name. She wanted to prove to everyone that she was more than just a Schnee who easily got accepted to Beacon. To showcase her talents and strike down any who got in her way. Weiss wasn't going to let Ringo win their argument.

"I did, you idiot! I tried countless times to awaken you but you didn't budge! And who is Coco!?" She recalled Ringo muttering Coco's name in his sleep.

"She's my girlfriend, Schnee! At least, I hope she still is…" He trailed off, Yang's words from yesterday replayed in his head. "That's not the point right now. We're training to become full fledge hunters and huntresses and you're telling me you can't wake someone up? You did sleep with me on purpose! A Schnee of all people!"

Ringo's argument was strong. Weiss had to think of a retort but ultimately found herself at a loss of words. She was training to be a strong huntress and she couldn't wake a dolt up from his sleep? She was starting to believe what Ringo was saying.

 _'I didn't even put up that much of a struggle. I-I accepted his embrace so easily! I fell asleep so quick too. Do I actually like… no! Hell no! Not in a million years! I'm not attracted to him whatsoever! Not even the strong chest that I rested on… no! Ugh!'_ Weiss was having an inner argument with herself. To everyone watching, it appeared as if she was insane.

"Hmph!" Weiss stormed off to the other side of the ballroom, where she was _supposed_ to sleep.

"Yeah! Team Ringo for the win!" Yang hollered, pumping her fist to the air. She accidentally woke up the rest of the students due to her cheers. Yang whistled innocently, ignoring the glares being directed at her.

"You woke us all up," Ruby mumbled. Yang believed that she was speaking to her until she saw Ruby's gaze on Ringo. Ringo calmed down for the most part, proud that he won the argument. His quiet nature kicked in when he noticed all eyes on him.

"Sorry…" Ringo bowed his head down. He skidded his back against the wall and sat on the floor.

Yang clapped. "Nice job! You put her in her place for sure! I didn't know you had it in you, Ring boy."

"Ring boy? I don't even have a ring." Ringo put his hands out forward to show that he was in fact, not wearing any rings on his fingers.

"Then how about handsome~"

Ringo avoided her flirtatious gaze. "Ring boy is fine. Please don't flirt with me." Yang giggled at his behavior.

"Why not? When I see something I like, I take it~" She teased, scratching the air with a sly grin on her face.

"Last time Coco caught a girl flirting with me, she knocked them out with her handbag. And then she did the same to me because I was completely smitten to that girl's charm!" Ringo twiddle his fingers. His face flushed red from telling them the tale.

Yang waved it off. "Those are only small details."

"Yang! Cut it out!" Ruby pushed her sister, having enough of her teasing Ringo.

"Is someone jealous?" Ruby punched her in the jaw. Soon, the two sisters were fighting. A cloud of smoke was formed, making it hard to tell who was winning.

"I wish Team CFVY were here. They're loads better company than these girls." Sighing, Ringo picked up his uniform headed straight to the locker room to get freshened up.

Yang playfully pinned Ruby to the ground stomach first. She had one of her arms locked behind her back.

"I win~" Yang cooed. "Now Ringo, you have got to listen to Ruby's love confession!" Her eyes turned into dots when she realized that Ringo wasn't there anymore. All that remained was the hamster cage.

"Stop it Yang! You're going to ruin my friendship with Ringo because you keep trying to hook us up! He's my first friend in Beacon and you're messing it all up!" Ruby cried, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Yang's eyes softened. "Come on, Rubes. You know I was just teasing." She patted Ruby's head. "Besides, mama wants some of him herself."

"W-what do you mean?" Ruby asked innocently.

"I mean since you don't like him, then I'll swoop in and get close to him. Here's a great idea. You got to be my wingman!"

"A wingman?" The crimson girl's cheeks lit red, embarrassed by the mere thought of relationships.

"Yep, a wingman! You're his friend. He doesn't talk to me unless you're here. As my wingman, you got to praise and make me sound like the greatest girl out there."

"I don't know…" Ruby didn't like the idea very much. It was basically manipulating Ringo into liking her sister. Also, he keeps mentioning that he has a girlfriend. She didn't want to ruin their relationship by adding Yang in the picture.

"Please! He's the first guy that I'm willing to go out with. There is something about him that's interests me. None of those guys back in the Signal could stand toe to toe with me or have the guts to ask me out. Ringo on the other hand, put that Weiss in her place. A Schnee might I add."

Yang continued, "At first, I got annoyed by his quietness. But now, I find it cute. He's just a beast waiting to be unleashed! I can't wait to see how strong he is during the initiation."

 _'She's really serious about this one.'_ Ruby sweatdropped. Usually, Yang had the hots for some random guy until she discovered that they were really just a coward. Ringo caught Yang's eye the second that she threw a rock at him. Yang never spoke highly about someone that she didn't know. Because of Ringo's actions, it made him the next target of Yang's affections.

Ruby didn't have a clear image of what a wingman was. Regardless, she planned to do her best. She wanted Yang happy. If she went out with Ringo, she would tease him instead of her! That was what convinced her to help her sister out.

"Sure! I'll be your wingman… or is it wing woman?"

"Doesn't matter right now. First, I'll show him that I'm good with animals!" Yang crouched down and placed her hands on the hamster cage. A chuckle escaped her mouth after observing Silver Jr. laying on a treasure chest. He had a mini pirate hat on his head too.

"Hello, cutie! I'm Yang." She introduced herself to Silver Jr.

Silver Jr. turned the other way, shocking Yang.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Yang rattled the cage. The hamster continued to ignore her. This infuriated her. A fiery burst of fire surrounded her figure, scaring both Ruby and Silver Jr.

"You stupid little rodent! Pay attention to me!" She shook the cage violently, ignoring the cries of protest from Ruby and the frightened squeaks from the hamster.

"Xiao Long! Leave him alone!" Ringo came back into the ballroom and immediately caught Yang attacking his pet. His outfit was more wacky than yesterday. Not only was his suit unbuttoned, half of his white dressed was tucked in, while the other half was sticking out of his pants.

"Oh shoot!" Yang hid the cage behind her back. Her eyes casted over to Ruby, urging her to save her.

"Yang's kicked a dog before!" Ruby blurted out. It was true in a sense. She accidentally kicked Zwei, believing him to be a big rat. She was under pressure. Her head wasn't thinking clearly.

Ringo gasped. He viewed Yang as an animal abuser after that morning.

"Ruby!" Yang groaned. She had one job! One! And she blew it.

"Get away from him!" Ringo rushed forward and snatched the cage from Yang's arms. "There, there, the mean girl won't hurt you anymore."

Yang was perplexed. Her chances were very well ruined thanks to the hamster. She glared at Silver Jr. behind Ringo's back. What surprised her was that Silver Jr. glared right back at her.

"We're going to the dining hall. I'll treat you to some food." Silver Jr. squeaked happily. "Don't go near him again, Xiao Long." With that, Ringo left.

"Aw man." Yang slumped her head and arms down. Her eyes narrowed dangerously at Ruby. "I'm a dog kicker? Really?"

"I-I panicked!" Ruby squealed. She ran off before Yang could get to her, leaving a trail of rose petals behind.

Yang cooled down. She shook her head and sighed. "Boys keep coming in between us. I should stop by now, but I got a good feeling about this one." A smirk replaced her frown and she kept it there as she went to get ready for the day.

* * *

The first years all gathered at a cliff near Beacon. Everyone had on clothes suitable for fighting conditions, except for Ringo. He still had on his school uniform because of his lack of other clothing. Ringo was far away from Weiss and Yang.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors. Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Professor Ozpin said, holding a mug.

Goodwitch nodded. "Now I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignments of teams. Well, allow us to end your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today."

"What? Ohhh…" Ruby whined quietly.

"B-but there is an odd number here!" Ringo spoke up, raising a hand. Thanks to his knowledge from last year, he knew how teams worked. There were four people in each. He counted an odd number. Someone would have to go at it alone.

"Yes!" Ruby cheered under her breath. There was a chance for her to work alone.

Goodwitch didn't appreciate Ringo interrupting her without permission. "Yes, and I'm sure you know that it's because of you, Mr. Yin. You're not even supposed to be here." She didn't hold back on the teen. She knew about Ringo and his _'situation'_ from Ozpin. Everyone not counting the first years knew what happened.

Ringo flinched and sadly lowered his head.

"Glynda." Ozpin shook his head, not approving of her choice of words. Glynda scowled and looked away. Ozpin's kind eyes landed on Ringo. "I'm sure you hear this from everyone by now. I am very sorry about what happened last year but you only have yourself to blame for flunking."

Some of the students snickered, finding it amusing that he failed. Ruby, Yang, and Jaune listened on intently.

"Yes… sir," Ringo replied, his tone resembling that of a mouse.

"That being said, we will come up with a solution to whomever finds themselves without a teammate. These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well with."

Ruby's groan didn't go unheard by the two professors. They didn't acknowledge it.

Ozpin continued his instructions, "The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"What!?" Ruby felt her whole world shatter. She was being forced to spend four years with strangers she didn't know. Her goal now was to make sure she was the only student without a team.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way." Ozpin's face hardened. "Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path… or you will die."

Jaune laughed nervously and gulped. He feared for his life right now. He desperately wanted to track down the strongest person so that they could protect him. He looked over to Ringo, having a person in mind.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will reguard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" He finished his long set of instructions and observed half of the students to see if they had any questions.

Unfortunately for Jaune, he wasn't a part of that half. He meekly raised his hand. "Yes. Um, sir?"

"Good. Now take your positions." Everyone but Jaune got into their own position. The first student got rocketed in the air. Soon, more followed.

"Um sir? I've got, um… a question," Jaune repeated. Weiss and Pyrrha got sent to the sky. Ringo braced himself. It was his turn next. He held Vinny tightly in his hands.

Ringo missed Jaune's attempts to get the Ozpin's attention and soared to the sky. Since he already went through this, Ringo knew exactly where to go.

He was impressed by some of the students ways of landing safely. Ringo was nearing the top of the thick forest. He pushed Vinny back and a burst of electricity shot from the end, giving him more momentum to go forward. Ringo cringed slightly when he heard a bird cry and Ruby's anguish for it.

 _'Whoops.'_ He didn't have time to dwell on the matter. He fired off more shots of electricity, eventually coming closer to the ground. Just in time, Ringo let out a cry and stabbed the ground with his staff. Vinny pierced through the dirt easily. Ringo's feet landed on the ground and he rolled forward. Now on his knees, he propped Vinny off from the ground and recollected his composure.

"That went better than the first time," Ringo huffed. He surveyed the familiar surroundings. His face fell, remembering about his first initiation.

 _'This is where Vincent and I met. I crashed into the tree and he helped me up.'_ Ringo stared at his staff and the name engraved in the middle. _'Vinny…'_

His thoughts were put on hold when he heard someone land behind him. A sense of dread past him. He was going to have a partner. A partner in which he had to spend his time at Beacon with.

 _'Why…'_ Ringo hugged his staff. _'You can't be replaced. You were the best partner I ever had. I don't want another partner.'_

"Nooo! Why does it have to be you!?"

"Dammit!" Ringo cursed out loud, not liking his partner even more. He turned his body around and was faced with a stressed Weiss Schnee. "Not the pervert!"

"This cannot be happening!" Weiss groaned. "And I'm not a pervert!"

"No! Leia! If you're listening, please haunt this girl!" Ringo and Weiss inched closer to each other. "I thought I was free of finding a partner. I landed in the middle because I guessed that everyone would be heading farther up!"

"Well, excuse me for coming here! I saw Pyrrha heading over here so I followed her! Just my luck that I found you instead!" Ringo and Weiss butted heads, not caring how close they were.

"You could've kept your mouth shut. We didn't make eye contact until after you spoke!" Ringo growled. "How about of we go separate ways and never speak of this again?"

"Idiot! We're being monitored! We have no choice-"

"That's it! It's very early. They won't have monitors find us so quick. Trust me, I've been through this before. Whoever comes by next will be your partner, 'kay?" Ringo offered, distancing himself from Weiss and turning away from her. As long as they don't make eye contact, the instructors won't count them as partners.

"Fine by me! Pyrrha should be here any second. You better be right!" Weiss trusted his word for now. She couldn't think of a worse partner than Ringo.

Just then, the footsteps of another person perked their ears. Weiss didn't dare to turn around. She knew it was Pyrrha. She wanted to act surprised and act like she was waiting just for her.

Weiss turned around with grace. Her face paled considerably. Standing right in front of her was none other than Ruby Rose. The two stared at each other for what seemed like minutes. Weiss suppressed the urge to scream at her bad luck.

 _'Scratch that. Ruby is worse than Ringo.'_ Weiss clicked her heels and silently walked away from her.

"Wait! Where are you going?" It was then that she noticed that Ringo was there too.

"By no means, does this make us friends." Weiss grabbed his hand and dragged him far away from Ruby.

"No! What happened to our plan!?" Ringo escaped her grasp and went over to Ruby. She got behind the younger teen and hugged her from behind. "Ruby and I are partners actually. Yeah, we made eye contact with each other."

"I guess I'm alright with that. You were my second choice." Ruby smiled brightly, glad that it was Ringo. Her face suddenly turned red, realizing that he was hugging her.

"What? You choose her over me?!" Weiss screeched. Her pride was hurt. Someone chose a brat over a smart huntress in training like her.

"Sneaky sneaky. You shouldn't break the rules." A random man emerged from behind a tree. "You sir, have made eye contact with Miss Schnee first, therefore you two are partners."

"Nooo!" Both Weiss and Ringo cried out. Ringo was wrong. An instructor was watching them after all. Ruby pouted for a brief second before remembering why she was running in the first place.

"Oh! I got to go find Yang!" Ruby bolted past them, but soon let out a yelp.

"Ow!" Ruby accidentally ran into Jaune, causing both of them to tumble to the ground.

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Jaune! My partner!"

Jaune awkwardly rubbed his arm. "Actually-"

"Sorry. I'm his partner." Pyrrha came from out of nowhere and helped Jaune up. She patted his shoulder and smiled.

"Nooo! Now you and Ringo are taken!" Ruby teared up a little.

"Who's his partner?" Jaune got his answer when Ringo and Weiss' arguing grew louder. "He got Snow Angel? No fair! Maybe he'll switch partners with me…" Pyrrha didn't like that and smacked the back of his head.

"Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang!" Using her semblance, Ruby disappeared in a flash. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other and shrugged. They headed onwards, brushing by Weiss and Ringo.

"I'd rather have my hamster be my partner instead of you!"

"Oh yeah? Why don't you cry to your girlfriend about it? Aren't you afraid of her?" Weiss smirked, getting the reaction she wanted.

"I-I… uh…" Ringo stammered. "I'm not afraid of Coco! Nope! In fact, I was the only guy brave enough to ask her out and get a yes." He jabbed his thumb near his chest.

Ringo came up with an evil idea. "I don't expect you to understand. I bet you haven't even gone out with a guy once or have even kissed a guy!"

It was Weiss' turn to stutter. Her face reddened. She bashfully tilted her head to the side.

Ringo laughed. "Ha! You haven't! I expected everyone to go gaga over a Schnee. Guess I was wrong." He slapped his thigh, getting a good laugh at Weiss' embarrassing secret.

"Oh ha ha. Very funny." Weiss gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to let him humiliate her and get away with it! Including, this morning. "I bet I can so get a guy to go out with me easy!"

"Yeah, I'm sure Jaune would be eager to go on a date with you." Ringo burst into a fit of chuckles, angering Weiss even more.

"Not that dolt!" Her smirk came back. She leaned in forward, ending Ringo's laughter.

"What are you doing?" Ringo asked, backing away from the heiress. His back hit a tree.

"What's wrong? Nervous around a girl? I thought you had a girlfriend. Or is she just imaginary all along?" Because of her height, Weiss wasn't able to meet him eye to eye. Being the clever girl she is, Weiss wrapped her arms around him. She intentionally pushed her cleavage close to his chest.

"C-coco is real! Here!" He pushed Weiss off of him and took out his scroll that he received last year. Ringo showed her what was on the screen.

It was a picture of him and Coco sleeping together. Fox took the picture as a joke and a form of blackmail. Too bad for him, Coco found out and beat him until he sent the picture to her delete it on his scroll. She sent it to Ringo and she kept it because she thought it was _'cute.'_

"See?" Ringo felt like throwing a whole parade in honor of proving that he was right. His smirk was so arrogant, he looked like an evil mastermind.

 _'She's pretty…'_ Weiss began feeling self conscious about her own self image. She had a smaller bust. Coco easily beat her. Yang also beat her too. Ruby wasn't there, but hers was roughly the same size as Weiss and she was younger.

Ringo put the scroll back in his pockets. "Now that we got that out of the way, let's just finish the stupid initiation. I'll lead the way since I already been through this once."

"Sure." Surprisingly, Weiss agreed with him. Her eyes were distant, signaling that something was wrong with her.

 _'Remember Ringo, you should always be nice to everyone, whether you like them or not. If you don't, I'll beat the daylights out of you, kapeesh?'_ The voice in his head was from an early memory. Ringo frowned.

 _'Ugh. You were always right, Vinny.'_ Ringo gave in. He put his hands on Weiss' shoulders.

"Look, I'm sorry-" His apology was cut off due to an angry growl. It was dangerously close to them. Blood red eyes can be seen lurking in the shadows, staring at them with malicious intent.

"Crap." Ringo and Weiss stepped back. The creature revealed themselves as a pack of Beowolves. One of them lunged at Weiss, but she managed to parry its attack and sent it right back.

"Ugh, I hate using my semblance, but Ozpin did say to not hesitate." Ringo had his staff on one hand and stretched his other hand put forward. "Weiss, my semblance can hurt you too."

"If you're asking me to leave then you're sorely mistaken." Weiss got into her stance.

"I'm sorry!" Ringo saw that the Beowolves were ready to pounce at any second. He was positive that Weiss was a strong fighter, but he wanted to fight too. He had to see if he was still capable of attending Beacon and becoming a huntsman.

He banged Vinny on the ground. The staff released several bolts of electricity to the ground.

Weiss saw this and expected it to shock her. To her surprise, it didn't. She was perfectly fine standing on the static field.

 _'This isn't hurting me.'_ Weiss wanted to call Ringo out on his lie but he continued on with whatever he was doing.

Ringo clench his fists, sending out a burst of electricity to the area. The Beowolves were suddenly reacting. They howled loudly and banged their heads on the ground.

"Ahhh!" Weiss screamed, clutching her head. Her mind went into a haze. For reasons she wasn't sure, she felt afraid. The Beowolves backed up, eyeing Ringo waringly.

"Move!" Ringo pushed Weiss far from him. He ran up to the Beowolves so Weiss wasn't in reach of his attack. He balled his left hand again, creating another static field in the shape of a circle. The Beowolves reacted the same as before.

"Hee hee hee!" Ringo laughed strangely. He sounded deranged like a madman in a mental asylum. His crooked smile gave Weiss chills down her spine.

The Beowolves were howling more frequently as Ringo kept releasing electricity from his left hand. They were lunging at nothing. Left, right, they were attacking thin air. It was almost like they were seeing him in these places when he clearly wasn't.

Ringo stopped creating electrical attacks and had both hands on his weapon. With a creepy laugh, he charged at the clueless creatures of Grimm.

He went after one Beowolf and swung his staff across its muzzle. Bolts of electricity connected with its head, causing it to unexpectedly explode. He repeated this process to two more Beowolves, both meeting the same fate. Their headless bodies fell, motionless.

The remaining Beowolves glared at Ringo. They tried to move, but found themselves unable to. The crazy expression on Ringo's face as he laughed stopped them dead in their traps.

"Die! Die! Die!" He cocked Vinny into its dual pistol transformation and shot them spot on in the head and neck. Just like that, the pack of Beowolves were slaughtered. Their blood stained the ground and Ringo's clothes.

"Yeah! We got 'em good Vinny!" His echoing laugh stopped abruptly. He dropped his guns and crashed on his side. His body was slightly twitching.

 _'I-Is it over?'_ Weiss was downright terrified. Though, she'd never admit that. The fear embedded within her was gone as soon as Ringo fell. A new wave of fear stowed upon her after watching him fight.

His semblance… she couldn't explain what it was. And what he did after, it was inexplicable. Not the part of him exploding heads off, but how insane he acted. It wasn't like Ringo at all.

 _'Or maybe it wasn't him.'_ Weiss put her hand over her forehead, shaking off the last bit of fear. She cautiously stood back up and went to check on Ringo.

 _'He better be okay. Why did he fall all of a sudden? Was it because of his semblance?'_ Weiss dropped to her knees and touch Ringo's cheeks.

"Hey, are you alright?" His unresponsive state worried the heiress. Her solution came in the form of her slapping Ringo across the cheek. He sat up immediately.

"Fucking hell…" Ringo's head swirled left and right. "What I'd give to trade my semblance." He hugged Weiss' waist, earning a gasp. "Sorry. Usually Coco, Velvet, Vinny, or Leia are here when I'm like this. I just need someone to hug to keep my sanity intact."

Weiss didn't say anything. The two were there hugging for a solid minute before Ringo let go.

"Yeesh…" Ringo leaned back, exhaling deeply. "Hey! I told you to get out! Guess a Schnee isn't smart as she claims to be."

Weiss blinked. Her senses came back to her. Ringo literally passed out and now he was berating her the second he got up. Naturally, she wasn't one to back down.

"I don't play the damsel in distress. I can fight too! I'm leagues ahead of you!"

"Want to prove it? I'll take you on right here, right now!" Electricity sparked from Ringo's left hand.

Weiss felt uncomfortable. Whatever he did made her scream out of fear. Ringo was nowhere near intimidating! But something about his semblance made him like that.

"Who are you?" Weiss came with it. "No matter what we do, we're going to be partners for four years. Tell me, what's your semblance." It came out more as a demand than a question.

Ringo frowned. "Already asking personal questions? Alright, I'll tell you if you tell me about your semblance. Deal?"

"Deal." Weiss agreed to it, not finding a problem with it. Ringo motioned her to follow him and the two talked while they headed to their destination.

"Erm… how do I put this? My semblance is something I like to call, Shock Therapy." He made electricity reappeared around his left hand. "Like you saw, I can make a static field. It isn't the type of static you think though. It's distance depends at times. That's why I wanted you to move."

"I'm capable of handling myself," Weiss insisted.

Ringo rolled his eyes. "Yet, you were under the effects of it. Let me show you something." He grabbed Weiss' hand and placed near the general area where his heart was located. Weiss blushed slightly at the hand contact.

Weis felt a jolt of electricity strike her hand. She pulled back and glared at the black haired teen.

"You're attacking me!"

"Not by my hand. That was my heart that did that to you."

A period of silence bestowed upon the duo. Weiss was having trouble processing what he told her.

Ringo poked his chest. "My heart is corrup… it's has an inexhaustible spark that allows me to generate electro-convulsive power at will. Because of this, my aura is generally lower than everyone else's."

Weiss pursed her lips, deep in thought. "Your heart… is it all electricity?"

"No. It's half and half. I kinda want to see how it looks like." Ringo poked his chest again, gaining a zap to the finger. "Anyway, I can transfer the electricity to my weapon, like you saw earlier."

He demonstrated this by clutching Vinny with his right hand. The staff flared with electricity. He weakened it and put Vinny back into its holster. "That thing can blow up heads?" Weiss stared at it with awe, which was rare of her to do.

"Not necessarily. This leads me to what Shock Therapy actually does." Ringo's eyes shrunk a little. "The electricity doesn't harm you physically, rather it destroys you mentally."

Weiss' eyes widened. "Is that why I felt afraid? N-not that I really was! Just hypothetically speaking…" She played it off coolly.

"That's the effect." Ringo didn't believe her excuse one bit. "It's called Madness. I've experimented my semblance on Grimm and concluded that there are three tiers of Madness. Madness l is what you were under. It causes people to scream and reveals their aura to me."

 _'I was under it!'_ Weiss shivered. She screamed when he unleashed his first attack. She rarely ever screamed out of fright. Just how strong was his semblance?

"Madness ll has the same effects as Madness l, only add that with experiencing hallucinations… of me."

 _'The Beowolves were attacking nothing. They must've been having hallucinations of Ringo. They had to have been trying to resist it when they were banging their skulls against the ground.'_ Weiss did her best to analyze every bit of information that she was receiving. The pieces of the puzzle was connected perfectly so far.

"And finally there's Madness lll, I've only ever done it once against a human opponent. Madness lll causes people to scream periodically. The hallucinations intensify. The person that I used it on was unable to use their weapon. My semblance may seem strong, but there's just as much consequences for it."

Ringo played with his tie. "Like I said before, my aura is significantly lower than the average hunter and huntress. I have to rely on offense the most. Whenever I use my semblance for too long or if I overdo it, I lose control of myself and my alter ego takes over. Eventually, I collapse and I'm vulnerable. One of my friends dubbed him as, ' _The Doctor.'_ I think it's strange but I've never seen myself as this other me. They say that I start to laugh like a lunatic and ruthlessly attack anything I see as a threat. I don't see where they get ' _The Doctor'_ from." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Seriously? Isn't your semblance called Shock Therapy?" Weiss deadpanned. "What do you usually wear before you burned them?"

"Just an unbuttoned lab coat... ohhh." Ringo's mouth formed an 'O' shape. "That makes sense. My two modes are called _Treatment_ and _Punishment_ mode." Weiss' brows furrowed. "Right. You want to know what that is. It's quite simple. Treatment Mode is just me using my Shock Therapy. I can't strike with Vinny and I move slower. Also, a static field is formed in front of me. It isn't as effective as Shock Therapy in terms of applying Madness. Punishment Mode means I can use Vinny and I move at my normal pace."

"You're semblance is strong," Weiss commented after he was finished explaining.

"I hate my semblance." Ringo spat out. "Each time I use it, I lose a bit of my sanity. That's part of the reason why I'm so jumpy all the time. Switching to _'The Doctor'_ freaked most of my classmates out. Only a few people still talked to while others just avoided me. They call me a freak and say that someone with my semblance is automatically evil. Weiss, I can drive someone into insanity. I practiced Madness lll on Grimm and they fucking killed themselves. Sometimes, I believe them. I believe that I am a monster far greater than some of the Grimm." Ringo's eyes glistened. He hadn't intended to pour out his feelings about his social status..

Team CFVY hadn't judged him upon his semblance at all. In fact, Coco Adel was the most intrigued out of the team. Other than them and his other trio of friends, everyone else steered clear of their direction.

"While I do agree your semblance can be used for evil intentions." Weiss stopped in front of him and tucked his white dress shirt in his pants. "You are not a monster. I'd be foolish to let my teammate have such a silly weakness. You shouldn't listen to what others say." She readjusted his tie and buttoned up his suit. "They're just jealous that you're stronger than them. That blonde idiot, Jaune, told me that you were at the top of the charts, undefeated for a whole semester. That's exactly the type of person I need as a teammate. I won't allow for my partner to fail and bring me down with them."

Weiss offered him a small smile. "We're partners now. In times like this, we'll have each others back. If you don't, then I'll send you flying out of Beacon if I have to."

Ringo wasn't sure whether she meant it or not. Regardless, he grinned and wrapped his arms around Weiss. He lifted her up and hugged her tightly.

"You're no Vinny, but both you and him have good hearts! You're reminding me so much of him that it's tearing me apart!" Ringo wailed dramatically.

"Hey! Let go, doctor! I didn't give you permission to hug me!" Weiss struggled to break free from his hold. She stopped resisting when she realized that he was shedding a few tears.

 _'He's not joking around. He… he actually appreciates me. Whoever this Vinny is, is making him emotional. I suppose I should accept the praise of us being alike. Vinny must be highly intelligent like me.'_ Weiss closed her eyes and hugged him back. She didn't know why she did it, but it felt right.

"E-enough of this sappy stuff." Ringo released his hold and had a small blush on his cheeks. "We got to go to the temple. It's not that far now."

Weiss nodded with determination. "Right!" With their past tension behind them, the duo sprinted north. Ringo was supposed to lead the way, but since Weiss was faster she was ahead of him.

"Turn right!" Ringo shouted. Weiss listened and turned right, with Ringo doing the same. "You haven't told me about your semblance yet! We had a deal, Weiss!" He reminded her. It was unfair that he spoiled his semblance and didn't get any information in return.

"I'll tell you after initiation! I can see the temple up ahead!" Weiss smirked, looking forward to showing Ringo her strong semblance. She was willing to admit that Ringo's Shock Therapy was more interesting that she forgot about telling him of her Glyphs.

 _'Wait. What am I saying!? I'm actually admitting that someone's semblance is more interesting than mine!?'_ Weiss scolded herself for doing such a thing. Ringo was turning her soft and it hasn't even been a day yet. She needed to remain dominant and stoic so that others would take her seriously.

The duo made it to the test site a minute later. It was a worn down temple. The stones were cracked and the walls were halfway destroyed. There was several mini podiums that had what appeared to be chest pieces resting on them. There was already another pairing that made it before them.

"Eh? Oh! It's Ring boy!" Yang turned around, hearing them approaching and her eyes brightened. "He's got the heiress as his partner! What rotten luck!" She chuckled heartily.

Weiss was offended by her words. "What's wrong with me!? Doctor should be lucky that I'm his teammate!"

 _'There's the Schnee that I know from this morning.'_ Ringo grimaced. He noticed the mysterious girl from yesterday standing behind Yang, almost as if she was hiding.

"Doctor?" Yang inquired curiously. Weiss clamped her mouth shut, not intending to let the nickname for him to slip up.

"Uh…" Like Weiss, Ringo reverted back to his original behavior. He kicked the ground shyly. "I-It's nothing. We should go get our chest piece." Ringo had his head down as he and Weiss hopped on the temple floor. They observed the pieces before them.

Ringo's eyes lingered on the golden horse piece. "Let's take the-" A scream cut him off. Everyone stopped what they were doing and witnessed Ruby plummeting from the sky.

"Heads uuuuuup!" Just as she neared the ground, another blur crashed into Ruby and took her into a new direction. She and the blur hit the tree hard, causing some of them to wince at her misfortune. Weiss didn't feel too bad when she recognized the two to be Ruby and Jaune.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" The unnamed girl asked Yang.

Then, an Ursa popped from the thick forest, slashing its claws violently. Ringo, Weiss, Yang, and Blake stiffened.

A pink blast struck the Ursa from behind. "Yee-haw!" A female voice hollered. The Ursa fell forward, along with the orange haired girl.

"Awww. It's broken." Another teen ran up and panted. The male was talking to Nora but found out that she disappeared quickly.

Ringo paled. "That girl… what the hell." He yelped when Nora popped up beside him. She picked up the a chess piece and placed it on her head.

"I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" Nora exclaimed happily, dancing.

"Nora!"

"Coming Ren!" Nora skipped off to where her friend was.

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?"

"Yes. We can clearly see that!" Weiss sneered. The girl narrowed her cat-like eyes at the heiress. She gripped one of Ringo's arms. "Come on doctor, let's go so we aren't infected by their stupidity."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yang dared her to explain.

"Exactly what you think it does!" Weiss snapped.

"So I'm stupid in the cute way!" Yang beamed. Weiss face palmed while the girl beside Yang smiled and shook her head.

To further add to this, the screech of a Death Stalker rang in their ears. Pyrrha was avoiding the large creature by running from it. The Death Stalker swiped its claw at her, which Pyrrha dodged swiftly.

Ruby fell from the tree and did a forward roll. She appeared next to her sister, ecstatic at seeing her.

"Ruby?"

"Yang!" The two sisters raised their arms and went in for a hug but Nora came in between the two.

"Nora!" Nora squealed, knocking the two sisters away.

"Did she just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?" Yang's partner questioned out loud.

Yang had finally had enough. Her body erupted into a small burst of fire. "I can't take it anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again!?" She fumed.

The group stayed silent while Yang cooled off. Ren joined them, still a bit exhausted from chasing Nora. Pyrrha was hit and thrown near the group of students.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune hopped down the tree and aided her.

"Great. The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang said sarcastically.

"Not if I can help it!" Ruby let out a battle cry and charged at the Death Stalker.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang called out to her. Ruby didn't care and went in to attack. The Death Stalker merely swiped its claw at her, easily sending her back a notch.

"D-don't worry! Totally fine!" Ruby reassured them.

Yang looked ready to go in after her until Ringo stopped her.

"I-I got this Xiao Long!" Ringo himself was stopped by his partner.

"Are you sure about this?" Weiss asked him worriedly. She leaned in closer so no one would hear them. "You're going to be _'The Doctor'_ again. You'll spill out your secrets to everyone here."

Ringo genuinely smiled at her concern. "It's more so for my gain, even if I hate my semblance. I want to see if I still got it. No need to fret, Snow Angel."

Weiss blushed at the name. Jaune looked on with jealousy.

"When he says it, it's okay. But when I say it, I get yelled at?!" Pyrrha hit Jaune's shin with her spear, eliciting a cry from him.

Ringo rushed in to assist Ruby. "Ruby, get out of the there!" He jumped and whacked the Nevermore's sharp feathers from Ruby's cloak. The Death Stalker launched its stinger down at them.

"Don't think so!" He pushed the recovering Ruby back. His left hand was radiating electricity quickly.

 _'No way I can kill it with my weapon easily. I still am rusty. I-I got to take it to Madness level three!'_ He only used the technique on Grimm, except for the one time he used it on a human. That story will be saved for another day.

Ringo used his Shock Therapy attack and hit it at the head. The static field was able to cover the area to fit the Death Stalker's size. The Death Stalker screeched abnormally louder than usual. Ruby covered her ears at the noise.

"The electricity is packing a punch!" Yang pumped her fist up.

"Not as great as mine, right Renny?" Nora wasn't impressed of Ringo's electricity. If they were ever in a fight, she was sure to win due to how effective her semblance can counter Ringo's.

"Sure, Nora." Ren was too busy observing Ringo to give a meaningful response. Nora didn't detect it in his voice and smiled.

 _'They think it's physically harming too.'_ Weiss noted. _'They won't know what it truly does until it's told to them. I intend on keeping this information to myself.'_ She'd rather not expose his semblance. Otherwise, the people around her would use it to their advantage in potential future fights.

"Hehe… hehe…" Ringo's chuckled turned dark. He avoided the Death Stalkers attacks and continued applying Shock Therapy. He stared at the Grimm with a crazy grin plastered on his face.

The Death Stalker randomly attacked the thin air. It was swiping its claws at nothing and pierced its stinger into the ground.

 _'Madness ll…'_ Weiss waited to see the final tier of Madness in action. It was then that she remembered that Ringo's other self should come out at any moment.

Ringo was laughing creepily. Each time his Shock Therapy connected, his laughter grew louder.

"R-ringo?" Ruby was scared. Hearing her friend sound like that put her on edge. Ringo turned his head around, displaying the lunatic grin on his face. His eyes were wide open, his pupils dilated. He laughed again, making Ruby more afraid of the teen.

"Whoa!" Yang didn't want to admit it, but she was a little freaked out by Ringo too.

The Death Stalker was screeching frequently now. It was lashing out everywhere.

"Die! Die! Do it! Do it!" Ringo screamed at its face. The Death Stalker raised its stinger up high and stabbed itself on its neck. A chorus of gasps surrounded the area, shocked by what occurred.

Just like that, the Death Stalker's lifeless body limped sideways.

"Doctor! Erm… Ringo! Can you hear me!" Weiss shouted after the battle was over. As expected, Ringo slumped forward and landed on the ground. "And there you go. Scraggly blonde, can you go and carry him?"

Jaune furiously shook his head. "No way! I'm not carrying that madman!" Weiss glared at the blonde male teen, now knowing why people saw Ringo as evil.

"Fine, you there. Go get him." Weiss turned her attention to Ren. Ren opened his mouth to speak, but Nora quickly close it shut.

"Don't conspire with the enemy!"

"Yang-"

"Ehehe~" Yang chuckled nervously. "Guess I'll do it then." Yang jogged over to where Ringo was resting. She past her sister along the way, not noticing her frightened expression.

"Now which piece should we take?" Weiss went back to the task at hand. Her hand grasped on the golden knight piece. She put it securely in her pocket.

Jaune grabbed the golden rook piece and showed it too Pyrrha.

"I'm all right! I'm all right!" Ringo stumbled under Yang's hold. He fell back down and clutched his head. Out of nowhere, Ringo let out an agonizing scream. His eyes were stinging. His vision was getting more and more blurry.

"Ringo!" Yang attempted to calm down the older student.

 _'You're next! You're next! You're next!'_ The voice inside Ringo's head repeated. He planted his face to the ground and slammed it twice.

"What did you do!?" Weiss came over and yelled at Yang.

"I didn't do anything!" Yang protested. "He just started to freak when I got here!"

Weiss ignored her. She slapped Ringo's cheek. It didn't snap him out so she did it again with the same result.

 _'I just need someone to hug to keep my sanity intact.'_ His words from earlier came to mind. She looked back to see if anyone was watching. Yang was busy comforting her sister. Ren was keeping Nora under control. Jaune and Pyrrha were having a small quarrel over something.

 _'Good. No one is looking.'_ Weiss brought him into a small hug.

"Snap out of it, doctor!" Ringo's body seemed to have relaxed. Weiss slung one of his arms over her to support him. "We still got an initiation to finish."

"Coco…" Was all that Ringo said. Weiss' brow furrowed at that.

"It's Weiss, imbecile." With her help, the two regrouped with the others.

Ringo fell down again when Weiss let go of him. He groaned, rubbing his head with the ground.

"Just go without me, Weiss. The instructors will come retrieve me after the initiation ends. Drawback of tier three, I literally can't move straight. You can't carry me all the way back. That Nevermore is still out there." Ringo accepted his fate. There wasn't much he could do. If anything, he'd just hold the team back.

"You really think I'm going to do that after all of this?" Weiss replied, annoyed.

"Did you at least grab an artifact?" Weiss showed him the golden knight piece that she retrieved. "Good… I can feel myself starting to fade. Whether you take me or not is your choice. Thanks for putting up with me." Ringo closed his eyes, now unconscious.

Weiss frowned. "Idiot. Okay, let's just vote on it. All in favor of leaving him behind, raise your hand."

Jaune and Nora's hand shot up fast. Yang's partner also raised her hand. Ruby's hand went up slowly too.

"Ruby?" Yang was surprised to see her and Jaune's hand go up.

"There's something about him Yang. I felt like screaming. I don't know why." Ruby distanced herself from Ringo's unconscious form.

 _'She got affected by Madness.'_ Weiss concluded in her head. What bothered her was how Ruby resisted the effects. As Ringo mentioned, the victim inflicted with Madness will scream. Ruby didn't, but she had the urge to.

 _'Ruby's a lot more tougher than I thought.'_

"So it's a tie." Weiss, Yang, Pyrrha, and Ren weren't opposed to bringing Ringo along.

"Jaune." Pyrrha stared at her partner with a stern gaze.

"Fine. He can come," Jaune reluctantly gave in.

Pyrrha nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Good. Now you can carry him."

Jaune threw his hands up. "Oh, come on!"

* * *

It was some time passed when Ringo stirred. He opened his eyes and was met with a tuft of blonde hair. Instinctively, he brought the figure down in a choke hold.

"H-hey!"

"Doctor! Let go of Jaune!" Hearing who it was, Ringo let go of him. He fully examined his surroundings. The whole group was here and Beacon was in the distance.

"What happened?" Ringo mumbled.

"Ruby beheaded a Nevermore!" Nora giggled. Ruby blushed at the praise.

"It wasn't that big of deal…" Yang squeezed Ruby's shoulders.

"Not that big of deal? It's a freaking Nevermore! It's just as big as beating a Death Stalker like Ring boy there."

Ren's eyes glanced over to Ringo. "Just how did you do that anyway?"

Ringo stiffened. "D-do what?"

"How did you make it kill itself?" Ren said bluntly. The use of his words made the atmosphere heavy.

"Kill itself? Whaaaaat?" He played dumb. He did not feel like telling what he semblance does to everyone.

"The Death Stalker stabbed itself with its stinger on the neck. It kill itself," Pyrrha clarified.

"Is that what that is?"

"Shut it!" Weiss silenced them. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him away from the others.

"Thanks," Ringo thanked her for saving him there. It wasn't particularly interested in what happened while he was out. All that mattered to him was that he was able to take out a Death Stalker without being hit.

"Ruby got hit with your semblance," Weiss informed him. "We took a vote on whether we should leave you or not and she was in favor of leaving you. You scared the poor girl."

Ringo's expression darkened. Whatever opinion he had on Ruby went down a couple of notches. He knew this would happen. It was why he rarely had friends outside of his Team CFVY and his other three friends. People we scared of him and now Ruby was too.

"Let's just keep moving," Ringo sighed. The rest of the trip back to Beacon was quiet. They went inside the amphitheater. Glynda Goodwitch was waiting for them at the entrance.

"Artifacts." Jaune and Nora handed her their rook pieces while Yang gave her knight piece. Weiss dug through her pocket. Her eyes shot open in worry.

"I lost it," She said to Ringo. "I must have dropped it somewhere!"

"Seriously?" Ringo narrowed his eyes at his partner. "A Schnee can't even keep a single thing in their pocket?"

"It's not my fault you fought the stupid Death Stalker! You knocked yourself out fully knowing what was going to happen! We should've just ran but no, you wanted to fight it!"

"At least I did something! Now we're both failing thanks to you!" The two were back to their bickering ways. Weiss and Ringo butted heads, fighting for dominance.

Glynda looked on with a stoic expression. "As expected from you, Mister Yin. The weak link of the now disbanded Team SLVR. I'm willing to give Miss Schnee a pass for your failure. If it were up to me, you wouldn't have even had a second chance. Seems that we know the answer now." Her harsh tone could be felt by everyone present. Ringo had it the worst since it was directed at him.

"Team SLVR?" Pyrrha inquired softly. Ringo hung his head down in shame.

"Yes, Miss Nikos. The once top team of students in their year has been eradicated down to one."

"Okay. I get it," Ringo said angrily.

"I don't believe you do, Mr. Yin. Allow me to be the one to personally escort you out of Beacon." Glynda's smug grin told everyone that she was glad to have failed Ringo.

"B-but-"

"No buts about it. Goodbye." Professor Goodwitch gestured him out the door.

"Wait!" Ruby stepped forward. She took out the golden knight piece from her hoodie. "Weiss dropped it during our fight against the Nevermore. Here." She handed it to Professor Goodwitch.

"Phew…" Ringo let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Good." Weiss' shoulders visibly relaxed. Even though they were arguing before, she felt guilty as Goodwitch was scolding Ringo with no remorse. He was taking all the blame, even though it was both of their fault that they almost failed.

"And where's your artifact?" Glynda asked Ruby. Ruby flinched and turned into a stuttering mess.

"She's with us!" Ringo answered quickly, wrapping an arm around the girl and pulling her in closer. "We couldn't have done it without her!"

Ruby bobbed her head. "Yeah! They couldn't have! I practically did all the work!"

Ringo pushed her back. "I wouldn't go that far, red."

Glynda glowered at the three. "You may be safe this time, but these two won't always save you. Remember to keep that semblance of yours in check. We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last time, now would we?"

"Sure. We gotta go celebrate, little red!" He grabbed her hand and rushed inside the amphitheater.

Weiss' expression grew irritated at the the scene. Yang noticed this and decided to poke fun at her.

"Is the heiress jealous of my little sister?" She teased. Weiss' face heated up out of embarrassment and anger.

"As if! Didn't you already hear that he has a girlfriend? I say Ruby's jealous of her!" Weiss argued.

Yang put her hands on her hips. "And have you seen her at all these two days?"

Weiss' eyes turned into dots. _'Crud. She has a point there.'_

"Hmph! Whatever!" The heiress had just about enough of the conversation and stormed off into the amphitheater. Yang chuckled and followed her in along with her partner, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha.

They waited inside for a good half hour. Then Professor Ozpin came to the stage and outright began to formulate the teams together. Several teams were being put together. Ozpin was announcing the next bunch of students.

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark." The screen above displayed pictures of each of the teens respectively. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester!"

The four teens held their head up high while the audience clapped for them. The next four pictures consisted of Ren, Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha.

"Oh! It's us!" Jaune tumbled out of the crowd of students and hurriedly headed for the stage with Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren in tow.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work as Team JNPR… led by Jaune Arc!"

Jaune froze. His face contorted into one of pure confusion. "Led… by?" Pyrrha punched him in the shoulder, which made him fall flat on his butt. The audience laughed.

The final four pictures were of Yang, her partner, Weiss, and Ringo. Ruby looked saddened that she wasn't a part of any team, contrary to her earlier beliefs.

"Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, Ringo Yin. I do believe we're missing a person." The screen added in a picture of Ruby. The audience hushed completely, wondering why there was five people at the stage.

"Yay!" Ruby bounced up to the stage and joined the others.

"Due to the odd number of students here, we have come up with a solution. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. For young Ruby Rose, she was the caretaker of one of those pieces for half the time and she fought along these four. It's only natural to do this. From this day forward, you five will work together as Team RRWBY. Led by… Ruby Rose!"

The audience cheered loudly despite the confusion. Yang hugged her sister.

"I'm so proud of you!"

"If I have to work on a team again, I'm relieved that it's with this team," Ringo said for only those in the stage to hear.

Professor Ozpin's eyes twinkled. "I'm glad to hear that. I was half tempted to leave you to be a one man team, but I thought this would be a better fit."

"Sir?" Ringo gestured him to go on.

"You shouldn't have to live with a burden any longer. Do not think of yourself as part of Team SLVR, the team to be hunted down to one. Think of yourself as part of TEAM RRWBY, a team that won't make the same mistake. Honor those who have fallen, for you shall only get stronger. Stop living in the past, once you do I guarantee your time at Beacon will be better."

Ringo's mood brightened. "Yes! I'll try for you and my new teammates!"

"That's what I like to hear. Now go on and celebrate with your teammates," Professor Ozpin dismissed him with a kind smile.

 _'Man. Ozpin sure does have a way with words.'_ Ringo was smiling more than he had ever had in the past several months.

"I got to tell Coco about this!" Ringo quickly high fived his four teammates and went out the amphitheater. Just as he did, Team CFVY was outside waiting for him.

"Coco! Did you see-" He was cut off when she slapped him so hard that his soul escaped his body.

"Not only did you not come and apologize to me, I hear you went sleeping with some other girl!" Coco yelled at his soulless body.

"Fox." Yatsuhashi nudged his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah." Fox made a vacuum cleaner appear out of nowhere and sucked up Ringo's soul. He opened Ringo's mouth and shoved his soul back into him.

"Stop doing that, Coco! One day you may end up killing him!" Velvet warned her.

"He's already killed me with his unfaithfulness. Ringo, listen up. We're taking a break until you can show me that you still care about us. That doesn't mean you can suddenly act on your feelings… Velvet!" The rabbit faunas squeaked in fright. "Neither can you, Ringo! Final chance! Don't mess it up!"

"I don't think you're being fair, Coco. Ringo would never be the cheater type. I'm sure it was all one big misunderstanding," Yatsuhashi reasoned.

Velvet took a stand, which was both brave and foolish against someone like Coco. "It's been a one sided relationship for months. I think you're the one not taking the relationship seriously! Ringo deserves someone better!"

Fox and Yatsuhashi were dumbfounded from hearing Velvet's words. Someone had to say it, but the Velvet being the one probably wasn't the best choice.

"What did you just say?" Coco lowered her sunglasses, revealing an icy glare directed towards Velvet.

Velvet realized who she was talking to and froze. "I-I-"

"I don't think you know who you're talking to Velvet. This is for his own good. He needs to toughen up. Ever since those three died, he's been nothing but a coward. I didn't date a coward at the start of our relationship. I dated a huntsman in trainer that was top of the entire year. I've only stuck with him because there was still a part of me that believed he'd go back to his former self. Don't tell me I'm not taking this relationship seriously. I've been supportive since the incident and he's been relying on me too much. I'm only hard on him because I care a lot about him. Do I make myself clear?"

Velvet was ashamed of herself for even thinking that Coco didn't care about Ringo. She slowly inclined her head. "Crystal."

"Good. It's getting late. We should head back to our dorm." The shuffling of feet indicated that they left.

Ringo laid there, pretending to be knocked out. He heard everything that Coco said about him. His once happy mood reverted back into the usual gloomy one. She wasn't happy. It was his fault for making her feel this way.

 _'I'm the burden in our relationship, just like in the team. I'm going to lose her, just like everyone else.'_ Ringo felt like he was going to break down at any second. It didn't help that his semblance was breaking down his mental barriers, making it easier for him to reach his breaking point.

"Doctor! We're about to go to our assigned dorm. Are you done here?" Weiss came to check up on him. What she didn't expect was to see him on the verge of tears.

"Ringo?" She called out to him again.

"Huh? Oh! W-we're leaving? Got it." Ringo tried to leave the scene but Weiss grabbed his wrist.

"What happened?"

"N-nothing! Just forget about it." His eyes were glistening. He looked to the right and saw the departing Team CFVY. He looked back at Weiss with a crushed expression. "Please…"

It probably would've been best if she had pressured him into telling her. However, Weiss didn't know what to do in a situation like this. She hadn't interacted with anyone aside from her father's friends and their children. She wouldn't consider them her friends, acquaintances was the more proper term.

Weiss let go of Ringo's wrist. "Fine. We're in dorm one-seven." Saying that deteriorated Ringo's facial expressions even more.

"Back in the same dorm again. I-I'll see you there." Ringo was off, leaving Weiss to her own thoughts.

 _'Who did this?'_ For some odd reason, she felt strangely overprotective of her partner. Her eyes shifted to the right, where Ringo was last looking. She was being stared at a group of four people. The female with sunglasses had a sneer present on her face. Her whole image screamed tough girl.

The taller male ushered them outside, not before the one with sunglasses flipped Weiss off with her middle finger.

 _'That has to be Coco. That… that bitch!'_ Weiss gritted her teeth as she watched the team leave. It had to be Coco that did this to Ringo. It only made her more furious at the possibilities played in her head.

"What am I doing? I got to go after the idiot!" Weiss was fast on her heels and raced to the dormitory building.

* * *

When she got there, she burst through the door. Yang, Blake, and Ruby were all dressed in their nightwear and were laying on their beds. They all jumped at Weiss' sudden intrusion.

"Where is he!?"

"Ringo?" Ruby pointed to the bathroom door. "He's getting ready for bed."

Ringo exited the bathroom, still wearing his uniform. There was some redness in his eyes. He hid it by lowering his head down slightly.

"There's only four beds. The last one will be here tomorrow. You can have the last one." The tone in his voice sounded strained.

Weiss eyed him up and down and then spoke. "Really? You're not going to tell me anything?" Ringo responded with a single head shake. "You're an ass most of the time, you know that?"

"Weiss! Language!" Yang gasped, rushing over to cover Ruby's ears. Ruby frowned and shoved her sister.

"I'm a big girl now! I can hear grownup language!"

"I don't want you to repeat any of those words!"

"Like what? Fu-" A bar of soap was shoved into Ruby's mouth, courtesy of Yang. Ruby spat it out of her mouth and accidental hit Yang in the eye.

"Ow! You little-" The two sisters exchanged punches and got into a fight.

Blake watched them go at it for a second before going back to reading her book.

Ringo sat down in front of the door. He wrapped his arms around his knees and hugged them closer to him.

"How am I going to survive the year with those two?" Weiss huffed. She headed in the bathroom to get ready for the night.

That night, everyone was sleeping. Yang and Ruby fell asleep after their fight. Blake put her book down and rested for the night. Weiss came out of the bathroom after a half hour and went to bed. The only one still awake was Ringo.

Ringo was breathing heavily. His ragged breathing was louder than usual. His eyes were bloodshot open. His heartbeat was thumping madly. On his wrist was a piece of rope tied to the door knob, holding him in place.

"Hehehehe~" His odd laughter came back, albeit quieter as to not awaken his new teammates. His nails raked the floor silently.

Weiss' eyes opened for a brief second and she caught him in this state. She flipped over and resumed sleeping, believing that she was dreaming.

And thus ended the second night at Beacon Academy.

* * *

 **Long Second Author's Note: If you couldn't tell by now, I based off Ringo's semblance from The Doctor in Dead by Daylight. It's a game and I thought it'd be interesting to incorporate it in this fanfic. I'll explain it now so it won't look too OP.**

 **Shock Therapy will only work in treatment mode. Punishment mode is when he uses his weapon. In treatment mode he is slower and a static field will emerge only in front of him and the sides. Hitting him from behind is crucial. His electricity will only do physical harm if it's transferred to his weapon or something makes contact with his heart. His aura is set at half, making it easier to shatter it. He sacrifices half his aura for his semblance.**

 **Standing in the static field during treatment mode and getting hit by Shock Therapy will apply Madness into the opponent. Madness will hinder the opponent's sanity and is stacked into three tiers.**

 **Tier One - Screams once and reveals victim's aura.**

 **Tier Two - All afflictions of Tier One, and causes opponent to hallucinate.**

 **Tier Three - All afflictions of Tier two, causes opponent to scream periodically. Hallucinations grow stronger. Can prevent opponent from using their weapon. Also can make opponent do his bidding, like kill themselves. It has only been tested on Grimm. Ringo will rarely go this far because it makes him lose his mind after he reverts back to himself.**

 **Another downside is that Ringo can lose control of himself and switch into _'The Doctor.'_ After a period of time, he passes out, making him vulnerable. The Doctor is fights more aggressively. Outside of battle, if Ringo gets to caught up in his emotions, he goes back to his sinister alter ego. That's why he tied himself to the door at the end. And it's also why he's so jumpy at times.**

 **That's about it, more downsides the closer you look at it. It would be too OP of there wasn't as much downsides. If you have any questions about his semblance, ask or go visit gamepedia and look up Dead by Daylight, The Doctor.**

 **Back to the chapter itself, Weiss and Ringo are partners instead of Ruby. The reason for this is just because I wanted to spice things up. Ruby is still leader and she'll work with both duos and form a trio. With Coco out, it's the perfect time for Ringo to bond with the other girls.**

 **As for his team, Glynda mentioned what happened to them. They were killed. This won't be covered fully until after Jaundice, hint hint.**

 **So yeah, that covers it. Next chapter will be… interesting. Stay tuned.**


	3. The Burden

**Author's Note: This chapter is shorter than my last two. There really wasn't much to work with. It's simple and gets to the point. This chapter is mainly Weiss and Ringo building their bond as partners. Not much romance here again but it'll be more prominent next chapter. Ringo will act a little like a wimp in this chapter too. A change I made is having the bathrooms in the dorms instead of the locker room, it just made more sense to me. As usual, more notes at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter.**

 **ZeloxMidnight: Thanks! I enjoy writing Ringo's character. It's really a fresher breather from my other fanfics.**

 **Guest (Razmire): I can see where you're getting at. I usually just type as I go along and don't really plan the chapter out that much. I envisioned Coco's character to be the tough one so that's why I wrote the scene that way. Her forcing her team not to interact with him isn't just there for the hell of it, it will have a purpose, such as next chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum respectively. That good stuff and all.**

* * *

Blake Belladonna was the first to wake up that morning. She always woke up at an early hour. She yawned and stretched her body in a feline manner.

"Hehehe~" The odd laughter made the bow on her head twitch. She looked over to the direction of the noise and saw that weird guy spazzing out near the door. For whatever reason, he tied a piece of rope from his wrist to the doorknob.

"Weirdo…" She muttered quietly. Blake grabbed the uniform assigned to them and went in the bathroom to handle her business.

Ruby was the next person to wake up. Like Blake, she saw Ringo acting all weird. His eyes stared into her soul. Her silver eyes dilated slightly.

"Hehehe~ You're mine~" Ringo snickered. He wanted to go closer to her but couldn't. He tried getting free but that only made more of a ruckus with the door.

"Yang!" Ruby hopped on her sister's bed and hid under the covers. Her constant trembling forced Yang to open her eyes.

"What!?" She hissed. Usually, Ruby would be afraid of Yang's red eyes whenever she got angry. Though, Ringo was being far more scarier.

"R-r-ringo's being scary!" Ruby whimpered. Ringo reminded her of a zombie hooked in chains.

"Is he now?" Yang sighed, dragging the covers off of them. Looking at Ringo, he appeared to be dozing off. Yang smacked Ruby's head. "He's just sleeping. That's what you get for waking me up with one of your jokes!"

"B-but he was just-"

"No buts. Just sleep." Yang laid back down and wrapped herself with the blanket.

"My precious~" Ringo was up. He licked his lips, imagining Ruby as his next victim.

"Yang!" Ruby shook her sister rapidly.

"What?!"

"Ringo's doing it again!" Ruby squeaked.

Yang peeked through the blankets and once again found Ringo sleeping peacefully. Her blood was boiling at this point.

"He's sleeping, Ruby! And so should you and I!"

Ruby faltered. Yang was right. They should be sleeping. It must have been all in her head.

"Ruby Rose is the one I want~" Ringo had a toothy grin on his face. "Yes… come to me, little red~"

"YANG!" Ruby shrieked.

"That is it!" The blanket around Yang burnt into a crisp. Yang was livid. Her eyes were as red as Ruby's cloak. Yang looked at Ringo. For the third time, she spotted him in deep slumber.

Ruby fell off the bed and crawled to a corner of the room. Yang towered over her like a monster ganging up on a small critter.

"Any last words, Ruby?"

"Bathroom is yours." It wasn't Ruby that spoke, rather it was Blake. She was in her school uniform. "What are you doing to your sister?" Blake asked casually.

"She's gonna murder me!" Ruby cried.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Keep it down! Some of us are trying to sleep!" Ringo growled. He was fully awake thanks to their arguing. He tried to get up but was held back because of the rope. "What in the… alright, which one of you bondage loving freaks tied me up?"

Blake and Yang blushed at his words while Ruby was confused.

"Yang, what's bondage?" The two older girls' faces burned hotter than the sun.

"It's when a lover…" Yang covered Ruby's ears in the nick of time. Ruby watched as Ringo pointed to the rope and pinned his other hand beside the tied one. He put his hands behind his head and spread his legs wide open. His hips started to thrust forward and back quickly. Then, he slapped the door with his hand and stuck his finger in the crack. After that, he whipped his hands forward harshly, as if he had a whip. Finally, he flipped so that his stomach was on the ground and bended his legs so that they were hovering above his butt. He put one arms on his back and chomped down on the rope with his teeth. Ringo shuddered and laid all his limbs back on the floor. He sat back up with a proud look on his face.

"... and that's how babies can be born." Ruby heard that last tidbit after Yang stopped covering her ears.

Blake had passed out with small traces of blood coming out of her nose. Yang rushed inside the bathroom and slammed it shut. Ringo untied the knot and was free.

"Can you repeat that?" Ruby requested.

Ringo rolled his eyes. "I'm too tired to explain. I barely got any sleep so why don't you scooch over? I kinda wanna chill on a bed." Forgetting about her earlier nerves, Ruby made room for Ringo. Ringo laid his head on Yang's dog pillow. Ruby herself laid horizontally, resting her head on Ringo's chest while her legs dangled off the bed.

Ruby hummed softly as Ringo gently caressed her hair.

"Hey, Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I tell you a secret? I feel like I should talk about this with someone." Ruby melted into Ringo's touch. She nodded her head.

"Sure. If it's something really funny and embarrassing then I might tell Yang," She giggled, imagining what kind of secret she'll be told.

Ringo chuckled, "I guess it's embarrassing. You know Coco, right? The girl I keep mentioning as my girlfriend." He felt Ruby incline her head. "Well, we're sorta taking a break right now. I'm still pretty bummed about it."

Ruby gasped, "Really? Oh, I'm sorry! It was probably Yang's or my fault!? I knew she was teasing too much!" She felt the guilty weight on her shoulders weigh her down. She believed that they were the cause of their fallout.

"No, no. It's none of your faults, little red. Actually, she said something about me sleeping with someone, so it's partly Weiss' fault," He laughed dryly. "It's mainly my fault. I know you may be young but what would you do if you were in my place?"

Ruby thought about it. "Well, if I really loved them I'd be right at their door trying to get them back. If they don't accept my apology then forget them! They don't truly love me if they don't accept my feelings. You shouldn't have to worry, Ringo. I-I think you're a great guy." His fingers brushed across her reddening cheeks.

"Thanks Ruby. I really needed to hear that." In the end, Ringo decided that Coco was right. He was just making things worse. He didn't want to ruin their relationships even more. Ringo wanted to find himself again. He wanted to be the same Ringo as last year.

But like most tasks, it's easier said than done.

After Ruby and Ringo took turns using the bathroom when Yang came out, they were dressed for classes. Although, Ringo's suit somehow managed to be the same as it had been yesterday. One side of his white dress shirt was tucked in while the other was dangling off his waist. His suit was unbuttoned and his tie was messily done.

"Who is going to wake up Snow Angel?" Ringo asked out loud. Blake, Ruby, and Yang took a step back. "Right. As her partner, I'll d-do it." He settled his hand across his heart, feeling a slight pain. Nevertheless, he inched closer to the sleeping heiress.

He took a glance back at the other girls. Yang and Blake shrugged. Ruby offered him a whistle. Ringo refused it, not wanting to get on Weiss' bad side by waking her up like that.

"Ooh! I got it!" Ringo had a light bulb appear above his head. He snatched the light bulb and threw it to the side. He poked his chest a couple of times and then touched Weiss' foot. A jolt of electricity sprang from his finger to her foot. Weiss reacted immediately.

"Ah!" Weiss' whole body jumped. She landed back on the bed and tumbled over the edge and to the floor.

"Good morning, Team RRWBY!" Ruby exclaimed joyfully.

"What is wrong with you!?" Weiss shouted at Ringo. He shrugged innocently.

"Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business."

"Excuse me?" Weiss patted down her nightgown.

"Decorating!" Out of nowhere, Yang was holding multiple items in her arms.

"What?"

"We still have to unpack." Blake picked up her suitcase. All the contents inside spilled to the floor. "And clean."

Ruby got up in Weiss' face and blew her whistle. "Alright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, Ringo, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission!"

Ringo didn't stick around for whatever they had planned. He had his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave.

"Doctor! Where do you think you're going?" Weiss caught him in the act. If she was going to clean, then _everyone_ had to clean. Yang and Ruby looked at her oddly, wondering why she called him doctor.

"Unlike you four, I don't have to unpack nor do I have to clean. I lost all my luggage before I came back and the only thing that belongs to me is Silver Jr. He's chilling over there." True to his words, Ringo didn't have anything that belonged to him except for the hamster and the cage. Silver Junior's cage was on one of the tables. The hamster was eating his hamster food and drinking from his water bottle.

"You can help us clean!" Ruby suggested.

"Hahaha!" Ringo laughed before his face hardened. "No." He closed the door behind him, leaving the cleaning to Team RWBY.

* * *

The walk to class was peaceful. Ringo ran into some second years that he knew from last year and gave them the cold shoulder. He didn't care, as they brushed past him without saying anything too.

His first class was with Professor Port. He taught Grimm Studies. It wasn't his favorite class in the world. Far from it. Professor Port was just… boring. He told bad jokes and he gets excited over the simplest things. He was creepy at times too. Professor Port flirted with some of the female students. It seemed that he was joking, but that didn't stop Coco from knocking him out one time.

There was a far worse teacher in Beacon. He just so happened to be staring at her.

Glynda Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin were standing at the courtyard. Glynda and Ringo made eye contact. The former scowled while the latter averted his eyes to the ground.

He had no idea what Goodwitch had against him. She wasn't as strict last year. Ever since the incident, she became more cruel, mainly towards him. She was so intent on kicking Ringo out yesterday. It made him worry about how classes taught by her will turn out.

He made it to Professor Port's class easily. He already knew where the class was to begin with. There were only two students inside. Class didn't begin until nine, which was two hours from now. He took his seat at the front row.

 _'Crap. I don't have any supplies either. Damn those people who lost my luggage!'_ Ringo figured that he'd ask Ruby or Weiss for paper and a pencil. Yang probably would forget her stuff too, but she had Ruby with her.

As for Blake, Ringo took the hint that she didn't want to be near him. He couldn't think of why she was avoiding him. The only reason he thought of was during the first day. He had discovered that Blake was a faunus in disguise. It was apparent that she didn't want anyone to know. She hadn't taken off the bow once.

 _'We'll talk eventually. We're going to live together for four years so it's bound to happen.'_

Professor Port saw that he arrived and greeted him, "Ah, Ringo! It's a pleasure to see your face again!"

 _'Can't say the feeling is mutual.'_

"Good morning to you, Professor Port. And yeah, I kinda have to be here. One of the perks of failing…" He grumbled. Professor Port frowned.

"I take it you're going to take school seriously this year?" Ringo nodded. "Then you should be fine! This should mostly be all review to you. And don't worry, you'll still hear Professor's Port's famous true stories!" The professor belly laughed. Ringo smiled awkwardly.

"Lucky me…" Professor Port left to go hang some drawings of Grimm on the wall. Ringo's eyes were getting drowsy. He hadn't gotten any sleep. He was up all night trying to control his violent… urges.

 _'Class is until nine. Professor Port should handle things if something were to… strike.'_ With that, Ringo buried his face into his arms and fell asleep.

He woke up when Team RWBY and Jaune barged in the classroom. Ringo groaned and looked up at the clock. Surprisingly, there was only one minute to spare before class started. He waved his hand up, signaling them to where he was. The four lost students joined him at the front row while Jaune wandered off to a row of his own.

"Geez. You all look like you ran from the dorms to here without stopping for a break." Ruby's eyes watered. "What? You didn't! And here I thought I was the irresponsible one."

"We got so caught up in fixing up the dorm that we forget to check the time." Ruby was sitting at his right. Weiss sat at her right and so on. "We would've gotten done faster if you were there!"

"Whatever. Say, you got a spare sheet of paper?" Ruby didn't like that he didn't care about their predicament. Nevertheless, she handed him a sheet of paper. "And a pencil?" Ringo didn't notice the angry glare Weiss was giving him.

Class started and so did Professor Port's teaching.

"Monsters! Demons... prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!" The professor laughed at his joke and expected everyone else to join along. Unfortunately, no one did.

Yang and Blake were paying attention to what the professor said. Weiss was taking some notes. Ringo was fast asleep with Ruby leaning against his shoulder and dozing off as well. They lazily opened their eyes at Professor Port's joke.

"Uhhhh…" Professor Port was stunned. He bounced back. "And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! _Huntresses_." He winked at Yang, to which she responded with an uncomfortable laugh.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!"

Some random guy spoke up, but Ringo didn't pay it to mind. He was already napping once more.

"That is what you are training to become. But first, story. A tale of a young, handsome man... me! When I was a boy..."

Weiss was starting to get bored of Professor Port's story. She listened on regardless, out of respect for her professor. Someone didn't seem to get the message.

Ruby was giggling. Weiss turned her head Ruby's way to see what all the fuss was about. Ruby lifted her paper up to show them her crude picture of _'Professor Poop.'_ Yang burst out laughing with Ruby. Weiss' eyes sharpened at the crimson haired girl.

"Ah-heh-hem!" Professor Port cleared his throat to stop the chatter. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!" He bowed.

Ruby got bored of listening to Professor Port. She made a fish face while balancing a pencil at the tip of her index finger. On top of the pencil was a book and an apple. Weiss' tolerance for the girl was diminishing rather quickly.

Then Ruby went back to sleeping on Ringo's shoulder. Yang cooed at the sight and snapped a picture with her scroll. This angered Weiss more than it should've. In his sleep, Ringo shifted away from Ruby, causing her head to hit the desk. Ruby woke up instantly and punched Ringo's shoulder. That didn't wake him up though.

Ruby huffed. She began to pick her nose. The disgusting act proved to be peaking Weiss' breaking point. Her body was shaking. Her teeth were grinding. She felt like jumping on Ruby and reprimanding her for her disrespectful behavior.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

Weiss banged her fists on the desk and stood up. "I do, sir!"

Professor Port directed their attention to the cage in the room. "Well, then, let's find out! Step forward and face your opponent!"

Weiss nodded and got up. She headed for the front of the classroom, but not without kicking Ringo in the shin. He awoke with a pained gasp.

"Get up, doctor! I expected this sort of thing from Ruby. I will not stand for my partner behaving so rudely," Weiss said firmly.

"Shut up..." Ringo muttered sleepily.

"Anytime now." Professor Port awaited Weiss to come forward. Weiss glanced back at Ringo, silently promising to give him an earful later. It didn't matter as Ringo fell asleep again.

Weiss readied her sword, Myrtenaster and got into battle stance. She somehow got into her regular attire in a blink of an eye. The creature inside the cage growled, liking that it had the chance to kill.

" _Gooo_ , Weiss!" Yang cheered.

"Fight well!" Blake waved a small flag with the letters, RRWBY on it.

Ringo gave his support in the form of light snoring.

"Yeah! Represent Team RRWBY!" Ruby was the loudest of her teammates. This would be an excellent way to boost up their team's reputation.

Weiss lowered her sword and glared at her leader. "Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"

Ruby deflated. "Oh… um, sorry."

"Alright! Let the match begin!" Professor Port swung his axe onto the cage, letting loose of the Grimm inside. It turned out to be a Boarbatusk. It immediately lunged at her. She deflected it with her sword and rolled to the side.

"Haha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Professor Port inquired, amused.

"Hang in there Weiss!" Ruby went back to trying to wake up Ringo. "Wake up! Our teammate is fighting!"

"Five more minutes…"

Meanwhile, Weiss sped over to the Boarbatusk. Her sword was aiming for the creature's skull. The creature was ready for this. It raised its head up, trapping Myrtenaster in its tusks.

Weiss hung on to her sword. She and the Boarbatusk fought in a tug of war over Myrtenaster.

"Come on Weiss, show it who's boss!" Ruby said, clenching her fists in anticipation. Her outburst distracted Weiss long enough to lose her focus. The Boarbatusk turned its head around and launched Myrtenaster far away from Weiss' reach. It then headbutted Weiss, forcing her to stumble on the floor.

"Oh ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?" Professor Port mused.

The Boarbatusk charged at Weiss again. Weiss narrowly avoided its attack in time. It collided with the desk. The hard impact was enough for it to roll on its back.

Weiss used the opportunity to go retrieve her sword.

"Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath its-"

Weiss was fed up with Ruby. "Stop telling me what to do!" She yelled furiously. Ruby was dejected by her words.

The Boarbatusk leapt up and began to spin in the air in a ball-like form. It hit the ground and continued spinning, gaining plenty of speed. It came for Weiss. Luckily, she was prepared for this.

Weiss activated her semblance. She spawned a light blue glyph with a snowflake design in the middle. She had it in front of her, blocking the creature's attack. Another glyph could be seen behind her in the air. The block worked. The Boarbatusk was knocked to its back.

Weiss jumped on the glyph in the air. The glyph turned black in the time that Weiss was on it. She committed to the attack and dived for the Boarbatusk's stomach. She stabbed it in the spot that she wanted to. The Boarbatusk squealed in agony. Its corpse laid there motionless, indicating that Weiss won.

"Bravo! Bravo! It appears that we are indeed in the presence of a huntress-in-training!" Professor Port praised her on her victory.

Weiss stood there with both hands on the hilt of Myrtenaster. She breathed heavily, exhausted after her battle with the Boarbatusk.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and… stay vigilant! Class dismissed!" Professor Port pulled out his axe and threw it at the front row, mainly where Ringo was sitting. It stuck to the desk.

Ringo yelped, believing that he was under attack. He took out Vinny and looked around for the enemy. He relaxed, remembering that he was still in class.

"Next time, don't sleep in my class. We wouldn't want Professor Ozpin to find out, now would we?" Professor Port had a stern gaze fixated on Ringo.

Ringo grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, sir. I just had one of those nights again."

"You may have little to no control over that, but you must try and resist it," The professor told him seriously.

"Yes, sir. It won't happen again." Ringo bowed his head, apologizing to the professor.

Weiss walked off without another word. This left Yang, Blake, and Ruby concerned for her. Ringo had no clue what was going on, but was still worried for his partner.

"What's with her?" Ringo asked.

"I-I think she's angry at me," Ruby answered sadly. "I have to go find out why." She was prevented from going when Ringo held her by the hood.

"Aye. She's my partner. I'll go see what's up with her. I've dealt with an angry Schnee before. You can stay behind me, watch, and back me up." Ringo stretched his arms wide, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of insults that he would receive.

Ringo ran to go catch up to Weiss. Ruby went to, but distanced herself from Ringo.

 _'I hope Ringo knows what he's doing.'_ Ruby hid behind a corner while Ringo approached the heiress.

"Snow Angel!" Ringo called out to her.

"What!?" Weiss was expecting Ruby to be going after her. She was genuinely surprised to see that it was Ringo. Because of this, she tolerated her partner more than she would have with Ruby. But that was only by a smidge.

"What's wrong with you? You just stormed off after you… erm." Ringo sweatdropped. He had no idea what she did in class. "You did... the thing."q

"I'm not surprised. All you did was sleep in class. Sleep! Sleep! Sleep! Can't you show some respect and actually stay up when Professor Port's teaching?!" Weiss let out all her frustrations on Ringo. She was mad at him too, but not as much as Ruby.

Ringo flinched. "Well… I got some notes down." He held up a paper. Unfortunately for him, he picked up Ruby's _'Professor Poop'_ drawing by accident.

Weiss left eye twitched. "You call those notes?!"

Ringo had a question mark appear beside his head. He flipped over the paper and saw the drawing. He burst out laughing. Ruby silently giggled, glad to have made Ringo laugh.

"P-professor Poop!? Ha! It does look like him! He even has the poopy lines above him!" Ringo cackled.

Weiss snatched the paper from him and ripped it to shreds. She may or may have not imagined it to be Ringo that she was ripping.

"Ugh! Can you be any more immature? You have no respect for our professors or Beacon itself!"

"Th-that's not true!"

"You can't even dress right! What's it with you and messing up your uniform? Can't you do anything right!?" Weiss snapped. She didn't stop there. "You've been nothing but a nuisance since day one. I've studied and trained to earn my ticket to Beacon. Quite frankly, I deserve a better partner and a better team!"

Ringo frowned. "Hold on. You can be angry at me but Yang, Blake, and Ruby haven't done anything wrong. Leave them out of this."

Ruby smiled, glad that Ringo was sticking up for the team.

"It's Ruby! She's done nothing to earn her position! Back in the forest, she's acted like a child, and she's continuing to do so! Ozpin made a mistake," She argued.

"It's only been a day. Ruby will be a fantastic leader! She's demonstrated traits that my former leader showed. Caring, friendly, brave, funny, and she's a good listener!" Ringo retaliated, using his past experience in his argument. "She may be young Weiss, but that doesn't make her any less of a huntress-in-training."

Weiss laughed darkly. "A fantastic leader? Please, give me a break. You just don't know how to be led properly. No wonder you got held back and abandoned by your own team! You're not qualified to be here, plain and simple!" She crossed her arms and glared at the older teen.

"Professor Goodwitch said you were the weak link. I'm starting to see why. You. Can't. Do. Anything. Right!" She closed her eyes, not wanting to even look at him anymore. She waited for his retort, but it never came.

Weiss opened her eyes and saw that Ringo tilted his head down so that his face wasn't shown. What made her regret her words was when she could make out a few tears dripping from his face.

"The rumors were true after all. Schnee's really do only care about themselves." Ringo turned around and walked off. Weiss was half tempted to go after him but chose against it. She left, leaving only Ruby in the area.

"W-wait! Ringo!" Ruby went after her friend but bumped into Professor Ozpin. To her shock, he was behind her the entire time.

"Hmm… now that didn't seem to go very well," Ozpin said calmly.

"Is she right? Did you make a mistake?"

Ozpin smiled. "That remains to be seen."

* * *

The rest of the day went bad. Classes went by with Weiss and Ruby sitting far away from each other. Ringo hadn't showed up to any classes at all. Blake and Yang were caught in the middle of it, unsure on how to tackle the problem. No one had seen Ringo during dinner either, making Ruby and Yang worry.

Weiss was strolling through the halls. Her mind was clouded because of the disappointment of her partner. She came across a balcony and noticed that Professor Port was there staring at the sunset.

"Professor Port!"

Professor Port turned around. "Ah, Miss Schnee! And to what do I owe this fine pleasure?"

"I-I enjoyed your lecture!"

Professor Port puffed out his chest. "Of course you did, child. You have the true blood of a huntress in you," He complimented.

Weiss smiled brightly. "You really think so?"

"Most surely!" The professor examined Weiss' conflicted state. "Something troubling you?"

"Yes, sir..."

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife!"

Weiss thought about it. Ruby being the leader was one of her problems, but something else was bugging her. More so, someone else. In the end, she came up with a decision.

"It's about my partner, Ringo. No one has seen him after your class," Weiss admitted.

"Ah yes, Mr. Yin. I do feel bad for the chap. He's had nothing but bad luck going on for him."

"What do you mean, sir?" Weiss asked.

Professor Port stared at the sunset, frowning. "Team SLVR. Such a young, bright team full of potential. Such a shame that they were taken away from life so early. Silver Reigo, team leader. Had a knack of getting along with people. Had a hamster too. He went out with fellow teammate, Leia Argento. Sweet, that girl was. A bit of a strict girl might I add. Kept the team together when they were off task. Then there was Vincent Sterlyn. Usually got into some mischief. Best friends and partners with Ringo Yin. Such a star he was, undefeated for a while. That's Team SLVR for you, until that day…" Professor Port's face hardened.

"While I will not go into detail, I'll give you the overview of what happened. Team SLVR was assigned a mission. Only two came back, Ringo and Vincent. Silver and Leia were pronounced dead. Not even a week later, Vincent unfortunately met the same fate. Beacon was on lockdown for several days. Someone had broken in and did the deed. All that remained of Team SLVR was Ringo himself. Grades fell and his fighting performance hindered dramatically. With his semblance added into the mix…" Professor Port stopped speaking about the matter. The whole incident drove everyone at Beacon into a frenzy.

Beacon was on lockdown. Everyone was to stay in their dorms until the investigation was finished. Whoever it was got away with it. The news was quietly kept under wraps, something that Professor Port questioned. Since it was Ozpin, he'd just have to trust him on it.

"Mr. Yin blamed himself for everything. He thought he couldn't do anything right, so he gave up the huntsman life for a brief time. His remaining friends and our staff managed to get him back on track."

 _'Oh no… and after I yelled at him for not doing anything right…'_ Weiss felt terribly guilty. He was just trying to get by in his life and she just ruined it. She must have reminded him of those times. Now she knew the truth. Why Ringo hated his semblance. Why he never wanted to get another team. Why he was always so jumpy.

He was afraid that he was going to die next…

"I-I'm sorry for cutting our talk short. I got to go find Ringo!" Weiss didn't care about the whole leader argument anymore. She had to go find Ringo and apologize.

"Don't let me stop you. Go and find your partner." Weiss nodded and rushed to the direction of the dormitory building.

When she got there, she slowly opened the door. Weiss saw that Yang and Blake were sleeping on their new bunk beds. The tent above Ruby's bed made it hard to see whether she was asleep or not.

And then there was Ringo. The extra bed had come in while they were in class. He was sitting on his bed, hugging his legs like he usually did. He was rocking back and force slightly. Ringo didn't notice Weiss come in yet.

"Can't do anything right… can't do anything right… I don't deserve to be here… I should've died with them… can't do anything right… can't do anything right…" He whispered to enough. It was loud enough for Weiss to make out the words.

Weiss approached closer to him. Her eyes widened when she eyed the rope tied around his body.

"R-ringo? It's me, Weiss," Weiss called out to him.

Ringo's head slowly turned to her form. His eyes were glistening. "P-please leave me alone…"

Weiss raced over to his bed and untied the rope. "What are you doing to yourself?" Ringo rested on his bed, panting heavily.

"I'm turning into him again. It happened yesterday and now it's going to happen again. Just go," Ringo pleaded.

"No," Weiss denied his request. "You're like this because of me. I'm sorry I made fun of your last team and you. Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have," She promised him.

Ringo's eyes narrowed at the heiress. "You think just saying that will make things b-better? Leave me alone Schnee, go do your makeup or something." He shifted his position and had the rope in his hands.

Weiss stole the rope from Ringo and slammed it against the door. The noise woke Ruby up. She peeked from under her tent and watched the scene unfold.

"I'm trying to help you out of the goodness of my heart. Why do you keep pushing me away?"

"You don't just take out your childish frustrations on me and expect us to be friends again! It isn't that simple, Weiss Schnee! I don't expect you to know since you practically had everything handed to you!" Ringo was getting louder. He didn't care if anyone woke up. Someone had to teach this heiress a lesson.

Weiss scowled, "That's not true… well not entirely… but that's not the point. The point is that I'm doing you a favor. I'm giving you an apology. We're supposed to be partners!"

"Vinny will always be a better partner than you! Vinny…" Ringo buried his face into his pillow, sobbing quietly.

"Ringo…" Weiss scooted closer to the black haired teen and wrapped him in for a hug. He graciously accepted it, weeping on her shoulder.

Seeing him act so vulnerable broke the barriers around Weiss' cold attitude. It reminded her of times when she would often cry in her bedroom. No one was there to support her. All her father saw in her was someone to take over the business. She wanted to be the type of person that her father never was to her.

Weiss hugged Ringo even tighter. She patted his back in an effort to soothe his sadness. She didn't know it at first, but this was the moment where the two would grow closer than she had intended.

"W-weiss, I miss him so much… I miss all of them..." Ringo choked out, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"I know, I know. I'm sure that Silver, Leia, and Vinny are up there, proud of what you've done. Stop selling yourself so short. No matter what, they'll still always be in your heart." Ringo didn't question how she knew about his teammates. Instead, he appreciated everything that Weiss was telling him. Despite their arguing, Ringo was genuinely surprised by how caring Weiss was. It was weird. They went from yelling at each other's throats to hugging.

"I'm sorry," Weiss apologized now that Ringo was finally hearing her out. "I was being selfish. I was too blinded by my frustration towards Ruby that I didn't take your feelings to account. I didn't mean any of those words. You're a fantastic person. I may not have known you that long, but I can admit that you are the type of partner that I wanted in the first place. You can do things right, Ringo. You just need to set your mind straight."

"B-but-"

"You're dwelling on the past too much. It's what's holding you back." Weiss grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "We're Team RRWBY. It may not be the same as Team SLVR, but it's up to you to make the most of it."

The two stayed hugging each other for another good minute. Ringo was the one to pull away. He wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled weakly.

"The rumors never told me about Schnee's being this kind."

Weiss' brow furrowed. "Where do you keep hearing these things about my family?"

"Everyone knows about the Schnees. Rumors fly around like a swarm." Ringo's hands went under his pillow. He took out a picture frame and gave it to her. "This was us after initiation."

The picture had four people in it. One she knew was Ringo. He didn't look much different than he did now. He was wearing the lab coat that he mentioned he wore yesterday. Next, there was a girl with long straight brown hair. She had beautiful hazel eyes.

Then there was a guy with short orange hair. He had bright baby blue eyes. He was laying flat on his stomach and Ringo had his foot on his back. Finally, there was a well-built guy with black shoulder length hair. His dark brown eyes made it look as if his eyes were black. The four teens made up the team known as SLVR.

"Thank you for showing this to me, Ringo. You all do look like a strong team," Weiss said, handing him back the picture.

"We were." Ringo hid it back under his pillow. His eyes shifted over to the sleeping hamster. "Silver Jr. belongs to Silver. I got to take care of the little guy. It's what Silver would've wanted."

Ringo moved and sat on the edge of the bed with Weiss. "Thanks, Snow Angel. If it wasn't for you, I would've had another sleepless night. My emotions have cooled down enough that I won't turn into _'him'_ and have to tie myself. Port was telling me to try and resist it, but I don't think I can go at it alone," He admitted shyly.

"As your partner, I'll be there for you. Count on it," Weiss promised him.

"I'll hold you up to it." Ringo paused. "We should continue this tomorrow. I got to get some sleep so I won't fall asleep in class again." Weiss got the hint and removed herself from his bed. Ringo got under his covers. "Night, Snow Angel."

Weiss' cheeks tinged pink. "Goodnight, doctor." She went to go to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

When she came out, Ruby's tent was semi opened. Ruby herself was awake and she grinned childishly at the heiress.

 _'That was a nice thing she did. She fixed her mistakes and made up with her partner. As team leader, I approve.'_ Ruby decided to not let her or Ringo know that she eavesdropped on their heartfelt talk. The conversation made Ruby see Weiss in a new light.

"You're… studying?" Weiss noticed the textbooks on Ruby's bed. There was a sheet of paper filled with notes.

"I just finished. I can't slack off. As leader of Team RRWBY, I have to send a good example." Ruby finished her studying by the time Weiss was done. Since she usually took a long while in the bathroom, it gave Ruby plenty of time to finish.

"Heh. Nice job, Ruby." Ruby beamed at the compliment. "Ruby?"

"Uh huh?"

"I always wanted bunk beds as a kid." Weiss offered her a small smile, which Ruby returned. Weiss ducked by to her bed and laid down.

Out of curiosity, she sat up as slightly to peek at Ringo. Sure enough, he was sleeping peacefully. Weiss was pleased that she was able to help him out. Even if they will have some disputes later on in the future, Weiss hoped that none will be as crazier as the one earlier today.

And thus ended the third night at Beacon Academy.

* * *

 **Second Author's Note: So yeah, there's my version of The Badge and the Burden. It further explains Team SLVR and their fates. The full explanation will be revealed during The Stray/Black and White episode. Weiss basically explodes in this chapter, taking it out on Ringo instead of Ruby. His trouble maintaining his sanity is touched here too. If you're wanting to see more of action and romance, next chapter will have what you're looking for. It'll have Ringo's semblance being tested against a human opponent. Any questions, just leave them in the review section and I'll have it answered** **. Next chapter will be out soon, stay tuned.**


	4. Jaunedice

**Author's Note: In this chapter, Ringo doesn't involve himself as much in the Jaunedice episode and with Jaune himself. He will have a major role in Forever Fall. There's some action here, but it's kind of short. I originally had another battle with Ringo and Weiss, but I scrapped it. I felt like I had to improve how I type battles before I move onto bigger duels. I built up his relationship with Ruby and Weiss in this chapter. Next chapter, I plan to have it all original before the Forever Fall episode and focus on the others like Yang and Blake.**

 **I don't really understand the class schedule in RWBY. In The Badge and the Burden, they were in Professor Port's class in the morning. When they left and Weiss went to the balcony, it looked like sunset. There doesn't seem to be any kind of time skip between her yelling at Ruby after class and her talk with Port. Are they in the same class all day or something? I'd appreciate if someone explained it to me.**

 **darkstel: I don't really understand your review, sorry if that came off as rude. I don't have plans of changing up the OC anytime soon but thanks for saying everything is promising though.**

 **Guest (Razmire): He has seen a psychiatrist, which is mentioned in this chapter. His friends have been helping him, mainly Team CFVY, but since it's his semblance, it can't really go away. And I think you'll be glad at who his opponent is.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't RWBY. That's pretty much it…**

* * *

Three weeks have passed. Beacon Academy life has been relatively peaceful for Team RRWBY since Ringo and Weiss made up. The two could be seen together for the majority of those three weeks. Whether it was studying together or just walking across the courtyard, they were spending more time together as partners and as friends.

Team RRWY had Combat Training class together. Blake was in another class. Combat Training class was run by Glynda Goodwitch and it was being held at the Amphitheater.

What surprised Ringo was that he hadn't had a single duel yet. Yang, Weiss, and Ruby have had at least two matches, each winning their own respective battles. It was almost as if Glynda was withholding him from participating at all.

If Ringo had to be honest, he was quite bored of watching Jaune get his ass handled by Cardin. This was what was happening right now as a matter of fact.

Jaune was leaning against his weapon, looking exhausted. Cardin was standing confidently with his mace resting on his shoulder.

"How much longer, Pyrrha?" Ringo asked. He considered Pyrrha and Jaune as his friends. He was already friends with Jaune beginning back to the first day. Weiss was the one who introduced him to Pyrrha. They bonded over their battle strategies and their winning streaks. Ringo told her how he went undefeated for a whole semester while Pyrrha shared her experiences winning the Mistral Region Tournaments four times in a row.

Ringo had tried getting along with Lie Ren, but Nora was always there to pull Ren away.

Pyrrha had her scroll in her hands. She handed him her scroll to show him Jaune's aura level. It was halfway depleted. Ruby was sitting next to Ringo, so she took a peek at what he was doing.

"What are you doing?"

Ringo gave Pyrrha back her scroll. "Just wondering when this match will be over. You can check teammates aura on your scroll by going on the team tab."

Ruby followed his instructions. She touched the team tab and saw Ringo, Yang, Weiss, Blake, and her own aura meters on it. Ruby's face scrunched up cutely seeing that Ringo's aura was depleted halfway too. Her eyes lingered on his form, trying to spot any injuries on the older teen.

"What's up?" Ruby pointed at her screen, specifically at Ringo's aura. He smiled warmly and ruffled her hair a bit. "Don't worry about that now, little red. I'll tell you eventually."

Ruby was disappointed that he wasn't going to tell her now. As team leader, it was her job to know everyone's strengths and weaknesses. If she had to guess, Weiss probably knew him better than her! She didn't even know what his semblance was!

"Cardin! That's enough!" Professor Goodwitch's voice brought their attention back to the battle. Cardin was standing triumphant over Jaune, as expected. "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match."

 _'Disappointed, but not surprised.'_ Ringo thought solemnly.

"Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?"

Cardin snickered, "Speak for yourself." Cardin's teammates roared loudly at his victory.

Ringo coughed. He kept on doing so, growing louder and louder. Weiss elbowed his stomach, wanting him to stop. Ringo was coughing madly now, garnering everyone's attention.

"Is there something you need, Mr. Yin?" Goodwitch spoke, irritated by his coughing.

Ringo magically stopped hacking. "I noticed how everyone has had a duel except me. Since Cardin's aura hasn't been damaged at all." Jaune's cheeks reddened out of embarrassment. "I say it's about time I get to fight."

"Ringo. What are you doing?" Ruby whispered hushly beside his ear. Ringo ignored her and had a stare off with Cardin Winchester.

Cardin merely laughed. "You? The guy who failed? Oh, this is gonna be easy!"

"Does that mean you accept?" Cardin nodded, still grinning arrogantly. The two looked at Professor Goodwitch, waiting for her to give them the go.

"Go ahead. Mr. Yin, there's a reason why I held you off from duels. Don't make me regret this," Goodwitch warned him.

Ringo waved her off. "You can't do that forever. What kind of professor will keep their student from learning?" His response annoyed Glynda more.

Ringo walked up the small set of stairs. He passed Jaune on the way and gave him a sympathetic gaze. Jaune smiled weakly.

Ringo and Cardin stood a good distance from each other. The older teen pulled out Vinny from its holster while Cardin swung his mace around a couple of times. Ringo remained in his school uniform. Weiss ordered him some new clothes but they wouldn't arrive until another week.

"You're going to regret challenging me, failure," Cardin taunted. His teammates laughed, believing that Ringo was weak. What made them laugh boisterously was the hologram up above. It had a picture of the two, along with their aura. Ringo's was halfway full.

"He isn't even hundred percent! Cardin's got this!" Russel of Team CRDL, pointed out mischievously.

"Why's he fighting him then? Let him rest!" Yang scoffed. The last thing she wanted was for Ringo to get hurt.

"He must have a plan. Otherwise, what was the point of challenging Cardin?" Pyrrha reasoned. Chatter filled the amphitheater. No one had a clue as to why Ringo was fighting. No one except Weiss.

She had a nonchalant expression on her face. "Don't worry. He's got this." A bully like Cardin wasn't any much for an experienced duelist like Ringo.

"How? Oh! This might be Team RRWBY's first loss!" Ruby cried out. Weiss kept a straight face, concentrated more on the duel than Ruby's worries.

"You may begin… now!" Professor Goodwitch began the battle.

Cardin wasted no time. He charged directly at Ringo with his mace high up in the air. He smirked. One clean hit was all it will take to finish off Ringo and remain a dominant force.

"It's you who is going to regret this." Ringo raised his left hand up to his chest. Sparks of electricity circulated his left hand. A field of electricity was placed in front of Ringo, covering all of the stage floor, except from behind him. Weiss noticed this and made a mental note of it for future references.

Cardin froze mid-swing. His senses were instantly on high alert. Ringo pushed his left hand forward, firing the burst of Shock Therapy precisely at Cardin's cranium.

"Aghhh!" Cardin dropped his mace and clutched his head in pain.

"What in the…" Pyrrha watched the display with wide eyes. She, along with everyone else, expected Cardin to be electrocuted. That didn't happen. He screamed for no apparent reason.

Jaune stood by Pyrrha. He caught his breath and watched on with her.

"Haha!" Ringo slapped his cheek and shook his head rapidly. "That's better." He went into Punishment Mode. Ringo grabbed his staff with both hands and went for Cardin.

Cardin shook it off and kneed Ringo's stomach just in time. Ringo was sent back, and quickly recovered.

"Hey! Catch!" Ringo tossed Vinny at Cardin. The blonde caught the weapon, perplexed as to why Ringo gave him the advantage.

Ringo went back to Treatment Mode. He approached Cardin, the static field in front of him beneath the two. Cardin tossed Vinny out of the stage and retrieved his mace.

"Bad move! Now you're weapon less!" Cardin stayed back, strategizing his next move.

 _'Shit. I thought Vinny still had some electricity in it. Now I have to use my semblance.'_ Ringo cursed himself for making such a silly mistake. His eyes wandered over to Weiss. She nodded, seemingly understanding what he was telling her to do without any words.

Cardin ran left and right, attempting to confuse his opponent and strike when the opportunity was right. Unfortunately for him, he had no way of escaping the static field under him.

 _'This electricity isn't doing jack shit! He's even weaker than I thought!'_ Cardin momentarily forgot about him screaming randomly. Victory was all he was thinking about.

"Winchester~" Ringo cooed, his other personality beginning to come out. "I want to play~" He shot another bundle of Shock Therapy at Cardin, increasing his Madness.

Ruby recognized this side of Ringo and hid behind Yang. Weiss continued studying Ringo's style intently.

"Stop laughing dammit!" Cardin roared, swinging his mace horizontally. He hit Ringo's side cleanly. Ringo flew across the stage, his aura dampening significantly. It was straying from red.

Ringo did a kip up. He swiftly rolled to the side, dodging another swing from Cardin. Ringo followed this up with another shot of Shock Therapy to Cardin's head.

"Aghhh!" Cardin screamed. He kept his weapon on one hand and put grasped his head with the other. Ringo captivated on this by tackling Cardin to the ground.

Ringo pinned Cardin on the ground and had both hands around his neck. Cardin struggled to breath as Ringo choked him. The deranged look in his eyes freaked him out.

Cardin mustered up the strength to shoved him off. He crawled away from Ringo and gasped for air.

Ruby looked up to see Cardin's aura still at green. Whatever Ringo was doing wasn't enough to put down the bully.

"Y-you freak!" Cardin gripped his mace even tighter. His eyes were as wide as saucers. Fear was present on his face. "I'll end you!" Cardin slammed his mace where Ringo was. To everyone else, he hit nothing but the air.

"Cardin! He's right there!"

"You're hitting nothing!"

"Get your head in the game!"

Cardin's teammates tried to snap Cardin out of it but to no avail. Cardin kept swinging at nothing. Sweat dripped down his forehead. His horror struck face added to that.

"H-how am I missing!? You're right there!" Cardin's panicky voice rang around the amphitheater. "Stop! Stop! Stoooop!" Cardin's legs buckled. He dropped his weapon and pulled on the strands of his hair.

"You're no fun." Ringo, rather, _'The Doctor'_ was upset at how fast Cardin was able to lose his mind. He wasn't even at tier three of Madness yet! Not that he would get him there anyway. The sane part of him was against putting anyone that wasn't a Grimm under tier three.

Ringo hopped dopn the stage and collected his weapon, entering in Punishment Mode. He jumped up the stage and whacked Vinny against Cardin's back. Cardin's aura went down to half after that one hit, shocking everyone.

"Nighty night~" Ringo propped the end of his staff onto Cardin's back. Volts of electricity seared inside of Cardin's body, electrocuting his muscles.

Cardin sputtered out random nonsense. His body twitched madly. His aura meter went down to red, electing Goodwitch to stop the fight.

"Leave him be! The duel is over!" Professor Goodwitch barked. However, Ringo didn't get the message. He pounced onto Cardin, but was stopped by one of Weiss' glyphs.

"Stop it, doctor!" Weiss eyed him sternly. "Three. Two. One…" Ringo collapsed, as Weiss expected.

"Woah! Are you a magician!?" Ruby's eyes had stars in them. She was very impressed at her teammate.

"No. I just know when the idiot's body has enough," Weiss responded calmly. She left them while she went to go fetch Ringo.

"That's another win for Team RRWBY!" Yang grinned victoriously. She and Ruby high fived each other.

 _'And another loss for Team JNPR…'_ Jaune thought sadly. Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha were racking up a nice set of wins. Jaune himself hasn't won a single duel. Though, it did cheer him up a little from seeing Cardin lose and look like he was about to crap his pants. Jaune's saddened expression caused Pyrrha to frown.

Meanwhile, Weiss was escorting Ringo down the stairs. He was leaning against her. His mind was affected by the after effects of his semblance. He didn't even know who was helping him.

"Ugh… who are you? Are you that Weiss Schnee? God… she's so hot~" He slurred, chuckling pervertedly.

Weiss blushed up a storm. She pinched Ringo's cheek, causing him to yelp. "Idiot…" She said under her breath, her blush continuing to radiate brightly.

Weiss made it back to the others. She pushed Ringo towards Ruby. "You take care of him now."

"Huh? Me?" Ruby was overwhelmed with confusion.

"Team leader takes care of everyone," Weiss replied distantly.

Ruby shrugged, not thinking too much on the matter. She led Ringo down on the bench.

"Is that Ruby Rose? Ugh, she's so cute I could gobble her up!" Ringo brushed up against Ruby's burning cheeks.

Weiss felt a pang of jealousy strike her. Oddly enough, it bothered her that Ringo said that to Ruby. She sat down next to Ringo and grabbed his arm, pulling him next to her and not to Ruby.

Ruby was about to speak until Professor Goodwitch called out to them.

"Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away!" Hearing that got everyone excited. Yang did a couple of air punches. Weiss' free hand was shaking and her grip on Ringo's arm tightened. Ruby's whole body shook. She squealed softly. Pyrrha stared at the three oddly, not sharing their level of enthusiasm.

"It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!"

"Team RRWBY is so going to win!" Ruby whispered to Yang. "If Ringo uses that electricity thing nonstop, we're sure to win!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "He can't. Don't you see what's happening to him after he uses it?" She gestured over to Ringo's woozy state.

"Well excuse me princess, how was I supposed to know that?" Ruby fired back with a bit of hostility.

"Actually get to know him then. Spend time with him. Asking for cookies and piggyback rides isn't what a leader should be doing." The bell rang, indicating that class was over. Weiss quietly left with Ringo in tow.

Yang placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Don't sweat it Ruby. Weiss is just being-"

"Right. As usual," Ruby sighed. "I should be spending more time with Ringo than asking him for favors. As team leader, it's my job to know what my teammates do. I owe to Ringo. He's the first friend I made here after all…"

Yang squished her hands against her cheeks. "Awww! That's so cute~" Ruby threw a right hook at Yang jaw. The two sisters got into a bear knuckle brawl.

Pyrrha shook her head. She frowned, watching Jaune leave with his head down I'm shame.

* * *

Lunch rolled around. Team RRWBY and JNPR were sitting with each other. Nora and Ren were telling some sort of story, but Ringo didn't pay them to mind. His head felt like it was going to explode. Luckily, he had Weiss to assist him after his battle against Cardin.

Weiss was secretly holding his left hand. Ringo told her that close contact helped ease his nerves. There was something else that did that too, but she still wanted to help. There wasn't another reason why she was holding his hand.

"Hehe… look at him go." Ringo smiled weakly. Silver Jr. was in a plastic pink hamster ball and rolled across the table. He wasn't even aware of what Weiss was doing.

Silver Jr. rolled across several plates of food, angering the students. That didn't last forever though, they couldn't really get mad at a hamster without looking weird.

The hamster crashed into Yang's plate on purpose and then went back around to attack the food again. He did the same to Ruby and Blake.

"That stupid little rodent!" Yang seethed in anger. Ruby and Blake were also annoyed but didn't voice it.

Pyrrha gazed at her leader while Yang went to go catch Silver Jr. "Jaune, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Jaune snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh yeah! Why?"

"It's just that you seem a little… not okay," Ruby said worriedly. By now, everyone was staring at Jaune, save for Yang. She continued trying to catch up to Silver Jr.

"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" Jaune grinned, giving them a thumbs up. This stopped when he took a look at where Team CRDL was. Cardin recovered from his duel. He and his team were messing with a faunas with rabbit ears.

Ringo scowled, "Poor Velvet. She doesn't deserve that." He wanted to interfere, but Coco's words were holding him back from doing so.

"Isn't she that the girl you mentioned that's in Team CFVY?" Weiss questioned.

"Yeah." Ringo had an idea. "Hey Weiss, gimme your knife." Weiss complied, despite her confusion. Ringo let go of Weiss' hand and squirted some ketchup on the sharp edge of the knife.

"Hehehe~" Ringo's creepy laugh caught Cardin's attention. "Hahaha! Cardin, my precious~" He dragged his tongue across the knife, getting ketchup on his lips. "The Doctor wants to play some more~"

"Stay away from me!" Cardin hustled on out of the dining hall. His teammates followed in suit. Ringo wiped the ketchup from his mouth and winked at Velvet.

Velvet mouthed a 'thank you' and waved shyly at Ringo. A faint blush traced her cheeks.

"What was that all about?" Ren asked what was on his mind.

"You want to find out!?" Ringo snapped, hints of his deranged side coming out.

Weiss pinched the lobe of his ear. "Pipe down, doctor. Don't go acting like you're in a barn."

"You're no fun!"

"Acting like a lunatic shouldn't count as fun!"

"What part of that doesn't sound like fun?"

"All of it!"

Ren blinked. "I was just asking..."

"You know what? I'll just scare people right now!" Ringo got up from his seat and stormed off. Silver Jr. hurriedly followed him out, successfully outrunning Yang.

"Oh no you're not!" Weiss chased after him.

Pyrrha scratched her head. "Aren't you all going to stop them?" She inquired to the remaining members of Team RRWBY.

Yang shook her head. "Nah. This usually happens. They get into an argument, then kiss and make up."

Jaune's eyes widened. "K-kiss?"

"Oh yeah. On the lips! They even make tongue contact. They don't stop. We're trying to sleep while they make out furiously!" Yang said with an evil grin.

Just about everyone's faces were red. The thought of the heiress and the held back student kissing made them feel uncomfortable.

"Yang! Cut it out! That's not true." Ruby paused, reflecting back to previous nights. "...is it?"

Yang grin grew wider. "Is that jealousy I detect in your voice?" Ruby's faced shined brighter. "Aww! It is!" She grabbed Ruby's hoodie and forced it down her face. Yang made a break for it, Ruby not too far behind.

Team JNPR stared at Blake. She was calmly reading her book, not bothered by any of the outbursts.

"Are you the only normal one on the team?" Jaune asked.

Blake had a small smile form on her face. "Oh, I'm far from normal." With her book close to her face, Blake stood up and left the dining hall.

"Tell me, how did you two manage to be friends with them?" Ren directed his question to Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Ruby and Ringo were the first two people I met. I still got Snow Angel under my radar, hehe!" Jaune responded, patting his chest proudly.

"Not to be rude Jaune, but she and Ringo might have a thing going on." Pyrrha didn't feel bad the slightest when Jaune's smile faltered. Maybe then, he'd start paying attention to girls right beside him.

"Huh? But Ringo has a girlfriend! I don't believe you!" Jaune was in denial. His precious Snow Angel couldn't have been taken right under his nose!

"And have you seen her at all?" Pyrrha deadpanned. "They're close. Weiss knew about Ringo's abilities, something that even Ruby doesn't know about. Plus, they were just holding hands. Didn't you catch that?"

"No." Jaune felt left out when Ren and Nora nodded along to what she said. "I didn't see them holding hands. Jaune Arc still has a chance to claim his Snow Angel!"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting the urge to smack the boy. "Don't think you're out of the clear yet. Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!"

 _'This again.'_ Jaune closed his eyes, formulating a plan to get his teammates off his back.

"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah. He just likes to mess around. You know, practical jokes!" He played dumb, hoping that it would trick them.

"He's a bully." Pyrrha stated.

"Oh please! Name one time he's _'bullied'_ me!" Jaune sweatdropped as they all gave him an all knowing look.

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can ask," Pyrrha pressed on, wanting to get him to confess.

"Ooh!" Nora bounced up from her seat. Her grin matched that of Ringo's. "We'll break his legs!"

"Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone, like Ringo!"

"Ringo's more than capable of defending himself. For someone that got held back, it's mind boggling as to why the staff did so." Pyrrha couldn't get why the eighteen year old was still a first year.

"Ringo can scare Cardin! Cardin is getting what he deserves…" Jaune stopped mid-sentence.

 _'Wait… Ringo can scare Cardin! Maybe if I can get him to… no! If I do, I have to tell him my secret. Man, just when I thought I had the perfect plan!'_ Jaune groaned internally.

"Ringo can't be there forever. Like I said, if you need any help, just ask," Pyrrha repeated.

Jaune didn't say anything. He grabbed his tray and walked away.

Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren exchanged worried looks as they watched their leader leave.

* * *

A day had passed. Ringo waved goodbye to Ruby and Yang and headed for Professor Oobleck's class. They had just finished class. He heard from Weiss that she and Blake had History with Pyrrha, Jaune, Cardin, and Velvet.

 _'I wish I was in that class. Then, I could talk to Velvet without Coco knowing.'_ Ringo still didn't know how to make it up to the leader of CFVY. Normally, he would've been panicking over it. But, he had someone else to keep him busy.

That person was Weiss Schnee. He didn't expect himself to get along with the heiress so well. Ringo didn't admit it, but he was growing more attached to Weiss as time went by.

He neared Professor Oobleck. There, he saw Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha outside of his classroom.

"Hey, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren," Ringo greeted them politely.

"Ringo? What are you doing here?" Pyrrha inquired.

"Professor Oobleck caught me sleeping in class. He wanted me to come when classes were over. Lucky for me, Weiss doesn't know about this."

Ringo didn't want to tell Weiss that he continued to have sleepless nights. His mentality was what kept him up all night. He faked his light snoring. It worked like a charm. No one had to know, at least not yet.

"Will you do me a favor?" Ringo nodded. "Tell me exactly what's happening in there."

"Yeah, yeah." Ringo brushed past Pyrrha and went in. Professor Oobleck was getting ready to chew out Jaune and Cardin until he noticed Ringo walking in.

"Ringo! You can take a seat right here beside Cardin." Professor Oobleck pointed his finger to the spot next to Cardin.

Cardin's body stiffened. He didn't dare to even glance at Ringo as he sat beside him.

"Sup." Was all that Ringo said. Jaune snickered at Cardin's behavior.

"You three have been struggling in my class since day one! Now, I don't know if it's a lack of interest, or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is…" Professor Oobleck sipped his coffee some more, enjoying the rush that it gave him. "It stops now! You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best, so I expect you to act like it. History is important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it... you're destined to repeat it. Pages fifty nine to ninety one! I want an essay on my desk by next class! Now! Run along."

"Ugh! Really?" Ringo slid down across the seat. The last thing he wanted was an essay. He only came because he thought the professor would just give them a slap on the wrist. An essay felt more like a bag of bricks.

"Make that page fifty nine to hundred and six for you, Mr. Yin."

"Uggghh!" Ringo groaned louder.

"Make it page hundred and seventeen for you!" Ringo flipped off the professor. "Okay, page hundred." He lowered the pages for no reason at all. Ringo didn't question it. He raced out of the classroom before Oobleck could change his mind.

Along the way, he accidentally pushed Jaune. Cardin saw the whole thing and laughed at Jaune's face. Ringo would've apologized if it wasn't for the important meeting that Ruby declared out of nowhere. If he didn't show up in time, she said something bad will happen when he slept in class.

Ringo was outside at night. It made him feel more self aware of his surroundings. His mind went into a frenzy whenever he heard any noise that he knew he didn't make. It only motivated him to run even faster.

He barged through the dormitory building's doors and bolted inside Team RRWBY's dorm. Yang, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss were seated in a circle, all in their nightwear.

"...this better not be an org-"

"Shut up!" Yang hissed, looking out for Ruby. She didn't want her little sister to be knowing about that kind of stuff.

"Ringo! We're going to do some team bonding exercises tonight!" Ruby said innocently. In her hands was a board game with a commanding Grimm creature on the cover. It was labeled: Grimm Overload.

"Never heard of it. Honesty, I'd rather play Remnant: The Game, in the library." Ringo absentmindedly sat at the table near his bed. On the table was a standard table lamp and Silver Junior's cage. The hamster was sleeping with his nightcap.

"It's a board game where the main goal is to survive the whole map without getting killed. It's played in duos. I thought maybe we could partner up." Ruby smiled meekly.

Yang wrapped an arm around Blake. "Yeah! Blake and I will face you two!" She put out her fist, which Blake reluctantly fist bumped it.

Weiss realized what this meant. "What about me!?"

Ruby dumped her whistle beside Weiss. "You can be referee and watch us have fun!" She answered rather bluntly.

Weiss' eyes turned into dots, not believing what she was hearing. "Absolutely not! I thought this was a _'team'_ bonding exercise. You're excluding me out!"

"Girls, um…" Ringo tried to get their attention, but failed miserably.

"Alright, you can play with us but you have to go solo!"

"No! I'll work with Ringo. You can be the lone one out!"

"Why do you get to partner up with Ringo?"

"Because he's my partner. Yang and Blake are teaming up. It's only fair," Weiss countered. She was acting quite defensive over wanting to be partners with Ringo.

"Girls." Ringo finally grabbed their attention. "Sorry, but I can't play tonight. Professor Oobleck assigned me fifty pages of reading and an essay. I got to get this done." His eyes softened when Ruby deflated, disappointed.

Weiss got suspicious. "And why did he assign you all of this? You haven't been sleeping in class, have you?"

"Whaaaat? No way!"

"Yang?" Since Yang had the same class as him, she turned to the blonde.

Yang smirked. She grabbed her scroll and showed them what was on it. It was a picture of Ruby sleeping on Ringo's shoulder. Some drool was lingering around her mouth. Ringo was asleep too.

Ringo threw his arms up. "Really, Ruby? You got us both busted!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Ruby hid her face behind the board game. She didn't even realize that it was Ringo that she was sleeping on the whole time. She was a bit angry at Yang for taking those pictures. Who knows what else she has on that scroll.

"Doctor… you haven't been sleeping, have you?" Weiss accused him hotly.

"I-I tried! It just hasn't been working! Honest!" Ringo admitted truthfully.

"Unless you don't want an earful, you can either join us or I can force you to sleep so you can stay up during classes."

Ringo wasn't too sure what she meant by forcing him to sleep. He didn't want to find out, so he gave in and joined the rest of his team.

"Fine. Only for one game. I really have to finish my homework. Wouldn't you agree, Weiss?" Ringo sat down next to Ruby, surprising her and the heiress.

"What are you-"

"I'm going to be Ruby's partner. We're already partners every day as it is. Ooh, you know what we should have? A team name!" He completely ignored Weiss and focused on Ruby.

"Totally! What about… The Most Electrifying Rose in Beacon History!"

"Bit of a mouthful, isn't it?" Ringo said. "Besides, you ripped that name off. I got one, say hello to Rose Doctor!"

"Doctor?" Ruby queried curiously. Weiss had used the name several times when referring to Ringo. She was sure that Ringo wasn't a real doctor, making the title useless.

"We're Team Bumblebee!" Yang announced.

"Where did you get Bumblebee from?" It was Ringo's turn to ask a question.

"I dunno. It's what everyone's calling us." Everyone left it at that, too immersed in the game to really take Yang's words in.

"Weiss can be Team Weiss." Ruby quickly decided, despite her cries of protest. She scooted closer to Ringo with a pair of dice in her hands. They finished setting up the board and were ready to play. Ruby had a flower piece. Ringo got the stethoscope piece. Yang had the boot piece while Blake grabbed cat piece. Finally, Weiss had the standard hat piece.

"You and your partner find yourselves lost in the forest full of Grimm! Escape without you and your partner getting killed. Right! I'll go first!" Ruby blew on her dice and toss it down. She got a ten.

"So I move with you?" Ruby nodded. Her and Ringo's pieces moved ten spaces up. They landed on a green space. "Take one card from Chance pile." Ringo picked up a card. "You encounter a Boarbatusk. Roll a seven or better to determine your fate." He rolled the dice, getting a whopping two. "How did I get two ones on the first turn!? Now we're down a heart!" There were five hearts for each team in total.

"Haha! Dorks!" Yang rolled her dice next, getting an eight. "Eat that!" Her and Blake moved up eight spaces, landing on a space with a treasure chest. Ringo read the card for that space.

"You find a treasure chest that contains buckets of gold and jewels."

"Sweet!" Yang and Blake shared a high-five.

"But." Hearing that ended their short lived celebration. "Only one of you can have it."

Yang and Blake stared at each other for what seemed like minutes. They were thinking of ways to get the treasure for themselves.

"Well obviously, I'm getting the treasure," Yang asserted.

Blake's eyes shifted into cat-like slits. "What do you mean?"

"I rolled the nine, so I should get it," Yang reasoned. It wasn't long until the two got into a huge argument on who got the treasure.

"Times up!" Ringo declared, putting an end to the arguing. "Says here if the partners can't decide within two minutes, they fight in game and both lose a heart! Whoever among the other teams gets the highest roll can keep the chest!" He revealed.

Yang's eyes turned red. "You didn't tell us this until now!?"

"You called us dorks," He defended himself, internally smirking. Ruby and Weiss took turns with the dice. Ruby got a seven, while Weiss got a four. "Alright! We got treasure! You can keep it Ruby. I'm a nice huntsman."

Ruby took the mini treasure chest to their side. "Why, thank you! You're such a nice partner! Glad we don't argue."

Yang was fuming. Blake barely maintained her composure. Ruby and Ringi hugged, celebrating their success. They waited for Weiss to roll next.

"Twelve! I got a twelve!" Weiss boasted, suddenly gaining interest of the game. She moved her piece and landed on a space with an image of a random Grimm on it.

"Uh oh." Ringo lifted the card from the top of the stack and read it. "You encounter Manticore! Roll an eleven or better to decide your fate."

Weiss gulped. She dumped the dice onto the floor, unfortunately getting a nine.

"The Manticore gobbles you up. You escape, but lose four hearts! Oh man!" Ringo and Ruby grinned. They were at a huge advantage.

Weiss huffed, doing her best to ignore the fun that Ringo and Ruby were having. It was like that for the majority of the game. Blake and Yang continued arguing. Weiss just barely avoided death. Team Rose Doctor were happily destroying the competition.

The turning point of the game came when Team Rose Doctor landed on a space with a question mark. Ringo picked up the card and instantly smiled warmly.

"Aww. This is a cute card. Hey, Ruby." Ringo showed her the card, bringing a blush to her face. "Wanna get married?"

"Married!?" Yang swiped the card from Ringo to confirm it. "My little sister is growing up so fast!" She fainted dramatically.

Blake read the card over. "How does one get married if they're trying to escape a deadly forest?"

"It's a game, don't question it." Ringo retrieved the card. "If you don't it says that it'll be _'awkward'_ for us and that we'll go our separate ways. If we do, it strengthens our bond and we gain an extra life."

Ruby's blush deepened. She could feel all eyes on her, awaiting her answer. She looked at the card, and then at Ringo.

 _'It's just a game. It doesn't count. It wouldn't mean much if I did. It'll be for our benefit in the game. We can't bond if our characters seperate…'_ Ruby made up her mind. She nodded shyly, accepting his hand in proposal.

"Woohoo! Look at these newlyweds!" Yang exclaimed, wiping a fake tear from her eye.

"Congratulations." Blake threw a single rose at them.

Weiss didn't say anything. If anything, her body language told how she felt about it. Her fists were clenched tightly, nails almost piercing her delicate skin.

 _'It's just game… why am I getting mad?'_

"Team Rose Doctor is going to win this for sure!" Ringo clasped his hand over Ruby's, signaling their status as an in-game couple.

The game ended after ten minutes. Ruby and Ringo won easily. Weiss died, not that she cared anyway. The whole game had already been ruined for her. Yang and Blake also died after falling into quicksand after not coming to a decision on whether they should take the risky or safe path.

"We won!" Ringo and Ruby cheered. Yang and Blake clapped for their victory. Weiss kept to herself, her mind filled with emotions.

"That was fun. Now I have to get back to work." Ringo stood up, but couldn't because Ruby was still holding his hand.

"I-I'll join you. I got to finish up some stuff too." The adorable blush on her face was still intact.

Ringo let go of her hand and playfully tussled her hair. "Let's get to it then, little red." Ruby followed him and took a seat next to the older teen.

Yang watched this unfold. A genuine smile made its way to her lips. "Aww~ Ruby has her first crush~" She whispered quietly so Ruby wouldn't overreact again.

"How can you be so sure?" Blake asked as she went for her book.

"Call it a sisterly instinct. Ruby only did this to find out more about Ringo. She got something more in return for the better." Yang's smiled stretched seeing Ruby move her chair closer to Ringo so he could help her out.

"And if he breaks her heart."

"I break him." Yang responded calmly, something which made Blake uncomfortable.

Later that night, Ringo finally finished his essay. Everyone had gone to sleep. He placed Ruby on his bed an hour ago after she fell asleep on the table. He would've put her in her own bed but he feared for her safety. Those hazardous bunk beds weren't suitable for anyone.

"Let's try this again," Ringo sighed. He dug through one of the drawers and pulled out a small container. It was some sort of sleeping pill that he got from a psychiatrist. He had tried countless others but it failed to do him any good. Ringo didn't believe this one would work either. There was no harm in trying though.

Ringo swallowed the pill and laid down on his bed. Luckily, Ruby was curled up on the edge, giving him room to lay down. He wasn't typically embarrassed when it came to sleeping next to others. He had done it with Coco plenty of times. He only minded when he had no clue as to who it was, as shown with Weiss at the beginning of the year.

Ringo dug under one of his pillows and found the picture of him and his team. He truly cherished his moments as part of Team SLVR.

At the beginning of life, he was nothing more than a boy just trying to survive in Vacuo on his own. He saved up until he was able to afford a trip to Vale. He heard good things about the kingdom. How it was a good place to hear out people's needs, in Ringo's case, he yearned for protection.

Professor Ozpin had found him one day running away from a group of bad people. He observed him using his semblance in action. To this day, Ringo still couldn't understand what Ozpin saw in him. After he recovered from the after effects of his semblance, Professor Ozpin offered him a spot in Beacon. Ringo quickly accepted, knowing that it was a protected area. Or so he thought, until the death of Vinny.

Thinking about how his team died caused a few tears to slip from his eyes. He saw everything. How Silver and Leia got slaughtered. The professor leading them on the mission had been killed too. Not a lot of people knew that tidbit. The staff assured everyone that the professor was taking a long break, keeping their death a secret.

He never witnessed how Vinny died. Ringo was only there to find his corpse when he came into their dorm. He stayed in Team CFVY's dorm for about two months before he eventually stepped foot in his own dorm again.

The funny thing was that Ringo knew who did it. They were the people chasing him, from Vacuo to Vale. He had no idea how they found him, but he swore vengeance on the one responsible for the whole thing.

He had to live up and avenge his team. Be was once known as the strongest fighter in his year, maybe even beyond that. Now people only remembered him as the sole survivor of Team SLVR.

"N-no… Yang, don't go there." Ruby whimpered in her sleep. She was tossing and turning. The pained expression on her face concerned Ringo.

 _'She's having a nightmare. That's something I'm not unfamiliar with.'_ Ringo returned the photo frame back under his pillow. He pulled Ruby's small body towards him and gently embraced her. Coco had done this with him a lot. Ringo believed it would work the same with Ruby.

Ringo was only in his pants. He hoped that no one would wake up to see this and possibly accuse of him of something weird.

Ruby's face snuggled up against his chest. Her arms unconsciously hugged his body. This made Ringo's heart warm and he embraced her tighter. His hand went behind her back. He gently patted his hand in circles on Ruby's back, easing the crimson haired girl's nightmare.

"Ringo…" Ruby slipped out his name. She began to tenderly pressed her soft lips on his chest. Her tongue occasionally licked his chest and she let out a few quiet moans. It was gross, yet cute.

Ringo's face heated up. He had an idea of what exactly she was doing. She eventually stopped and was content in using him as her personal pillow. It made him wonder if should pursue a relationship with anyone on the team. He loved Coco, but he felt like she deserved someone else. Of course, he wouldn't do anything too personal until he talked to Coco on where their relationship stood.

As of now, he didn't hold any deep feelings for his teammates. He cared for them greatly, though being in love with them would be a bit of a stretch. He pushed those thoughts away. For now, he was going to be a caretaker. He was going to watch over his teammates. Since they killed his former team, it would be a matter of time before they find out about Team RRWBY and put a stop to it.

He'd be damned if he let those bastards take them away too.

* * *

The following day was quite eventful to say the least. It was an improvement, Ringo actually slept. The downside was that it was only for two hours. But he still slept!

No one had caught him and Ruby due to him being awake for most of the night. The atmosphere between him and Ruby got awkward, in Ruby's case mostly. Whenever he even spared a glance to her, she would look away.

Classes were almost over. Team RRWBY all had Botany class together with Professor Peach. There were rumors circulating that Professor Peach didn't even exist and that no one knew how she looked like. Those were obviously false since Ringo was staring at her right now. Plus, he was in her class last year.

Weiss was sitting close next to him. It did make him feel a bit uncomfortable whenever she did this. She was acting very clingy today. She was never like this before.

 _'Maybe it's because we're partners or something? I dunno.'_ Ringo squirmed further in his seat when Weiss laced her hands around his left arm.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"What? Would you rather have Ruby do this?" Weiss answered angrily.

"Ruby?" Ringo was genuinely puzzled. "What's up with you today, Weiss?"

"Nothing." Ruby looked over at their direction to see what the fuss was about. Weiss saw this and grasped his arm even tighter. Ruby frowned, though averted her eyes back to the professor.

"Hmph." Weiss smirked, glad to have her plan work. Ringo sat there, unable to do anything. If he did, others would look their way and rumors would spread. It would completely tarnish his relationship with Coco and possibly Team CFVY.

Ringo heard something about a field trip from Professor Peach. He was distracted from Weiss to hear it fully. The bell rang, meaning classes were over.

Weiss let go of his arm. Ringo quickly bolted away from her. He met up with the rest of the team.

"Heya Ring boy! You up for some pool? We're just about to head there ourselves." Yang gestured towards herself, Blake, and Ruby.

"Sure!" Ringo felt someone pinch his ear.

"Absolutely not! We're going to study, remember?" Weiss reminded him sternly.

"But can't we have some fun? We can study later," Ringo pleaded.

"No. We're going to study!" Weiss once again grabbed his arm. Ringo finally had enough and pushed her away from him.

"Look Weiss, I don't know what your deal is today but you have to stop. We can't hang out forever. I want to hang out with my other friends too." Ringo patted Ruby on the head. "Come on, girls. Let's go play some pool. Maybe we can bet money on it."

"No."

"Yes!" Blake and Yang said at the same time. The four left the classroom together. Ruby walked closer to Ringo, the two sharing a bright smile.

Weiss was left there alone, a mixture of emotions flooding her. She felt angry, betrayed, lonely. The most confusing one of them all… jealousy.

 _'I-I'm not jealous of Ruby. That's the most stupidest thing I've ever heard! Ringo can hang out with whoever he pleases! Even if it is Ruby…'_ Weiss thought back to last night. She was awake the entire time. She heard Ruby and Ringo kissing! There was no denying that they were a couple after that stupid game.

 _'Wait. What am I saying!? Why should I care if they're dating? I-I don't like that moron! He's just my partner, nothing more, nothing less.'_ Weiss fought back her emotions, but her jealousy kept coming back and back again.

"I need to get my mind off this!" Weiss made a beeline to the library.

Weiss finished her daily studying hours ago. It was late at night now. Weiss was having a strange dream. Her dream was clouded by one person.

 _'Ringo…'_ Weiss shifted in her bed. She hugged her pillow rather intimately. _'I don't care what dad says, I want to be with y-'_

Weiss let out a sharp gasp. She sat up, eyes wide open. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had. Her cheeks were flushed red. She remembered her dream very clearly. It was almost like it was real.

 _'Oh no…'_ Weiss placed her hands over her chest, feeling her heart pump wildly. _'I-I do like-'_

"Psst. Weiss, are you okay?" Ringo murmured quietly. He heard her gasp and grew worried for his partner.

 _'That idiot is still awake!'_ Instead of being mad, Weiss had a plan to confirm her growing feelings.

She got up from her bed and made her way over to Ringo.

"I-I had a nightmare. Do you mind if I stay with you for a while?" Weiss swallowed the large lump in her throat. She hoped that her plan would work.

"A nightmare, huh? I'm no stranger to those." Ringo thought back to when Coco would be there for him whenever he had a nightmare. It'd be right if he did the same. "Just for a while, right?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Just try to not make any noise." Ringo moved to the far edge of the bed so Weiss could squeeze in. The two laid there, neither attempting to fall asleep.

"What was your nightmare about?" Ringo said, breaking the silence. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

"It's about my dad. It wasn't really a nightmare. It's just a bad memory," She replied, half truthfully.

"Daddy issues? I guess that makes sense. You are the heiress of a big company after all." He paused. "Is it really that bad? You know, how your father treats you."

Weiss nodded. "I never made a lot of friends. The ones I do make either die by those bloodthirsty people of the White Fang or move away."

"Ugh, don't get me started on the White Fang." Ringo spoke with venom in his voice. Weiss was quite surprised to hear that he hated the White Fang too. Usually, people assume her to be a racist. It was nice to know that she had a close friend on her side. Or even a friend at all to be exact.

"What did they do to you?"

"Erm… let's just say that I don't agree with their methods nowadays." Ringo left it at that. Another period of silence bestowed upon them.

It was Weiss' turn to break it. "Are you and Ruby dating?"

Ringo almost did a spit take, but held it in last second. "W-what? Where'd you get that from?"

"I heard you two kissing last night," Weiss responded, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

Ringo was glad that it was too dark for her to see his red face. "Well… that was just her kissing my chest. I let her sleep on my bed because the bunk beds are way too dangerous. W-we aren't dating. Nothing of a sort.

Weiss let out a breath of relief that she didn't even know she was holding. Her mind eased into a blissful peace. She trusted Ringo's word.

Ringo blinked. "Wait a minute. Is that why you were acting weird all day? Because you thought Ruby and I were a couple?"

"Um…" Weiss came up with an excuse. "O-of course not. I don't care who you go out with. It's just… it's just that I was scared."

"Scared?"

Weiss turned her head so that she could meet his eye. "We've been hanging out together since initiation. I don't think I've ever spent this much time with someone that wasn't part of my family. I enjoyed being in your company, even if we do argue sometimes. I thought if you and Ruby were together, then you'd leave me in the dust. That I'd be alone again…"

She spoke from the heart. Even if it wasn't the full truth, it didn't mean that she didn't feel this way. With Ringo giving all of his attention to Ruby, then she was forced to go back to being alone.

Ringo burst out laughing quietly. It offended Weiss greatly. She poured her feelings to Ringo and he was laughing right in front of her face!

"Weiss, really? That was only for one night. I think you're just overreacting."

"H-how dare you!" Weiss flipped around so that her back was facing him.

"I can have other friends, you know. That doesn't mean I'd abandon you. At this point, we've spent way too much time together for me to even consider that. We're partners. We'll be with each other for four years. You can have other friends too." Ringo thought it was silly of Weiss to think that he was abandoning her just because of him partnering up with Ruby instead of her. It was only for one game.

He could understand where she was coming from based on what she was telling him. He figured that finally having a close friend turned her into an overprotective person. It was fine. In fact, Ringo was touched that she cared about him that much.

"I don't want other friends. You're the only one I need," Weiss mumbled softly.

"I can't be there forever, Snow Angel. I promise I won't ever abandon you. At least try and make friends with Ruby, Yang, and Blake. Will you promise me that?"

"Sure," Weiss replied, not putting much thought into it.

"Sweet. Now try and get some sleep." Ringo had his bottle of pills in his hands. He took one out and swallowed it. "Please work…"

Luck was on Ringo's side tonight. He was out of it a minute later, sleeping contentedly.

"Psst. Ringo." Weiss checked to make sure if he was awake. "Thank you." She was happy to have a friend like Ringo. He was there to soothe her worries. He would never turn his back on her. Ironically enough, he did have his back turned on her as he was sleeping. She planned on fixing that.

Weiss pulled him back so that his body was facing her, which was surprisingly easy. Just like during the first night of Beacon, Weiss rubbed her cheek against his clothed chest. For some reason, he hadn't taken off his uniform.

She placed her ear on his chest, hearing a faint heartbeat. Weiss also heard the sound of static, confirming Ringo's words that his heart was filled with electricity too.

 _'I-I think I really do like…'_ Weiss stopped herself. It didn't matter whether what kind of feelings she held for Ringo.

She was satisfied enough with having a friend.

* * *

 **Second Author's Note: Like I said before, next chapter won't be Forever Fall, it'll be a chapter to further build his friendship between the team. Specifically Yang and Blake because they haven't interacted much with Ringo. Not really much else left to say other than, stay tuned.**


	5. The Bet

**Author's Note: Gonna be a short one. Not much else to say other then the chapter focusing on everyone but Ruby, kinda. Also, more of Ringo's past is revealed. This chapter sorta builds up to Forever Fall, so enjoy.**

 **razmire: Yeah, that's what the power of fanfiction can do, tweak the story and characters. I'm still not done with RWBY but I'm pretty sure Raven's tribe is in Mistral, so no, they don't have any involvement in their death either way. I won't tell, but I give out hints! You'll get a huge hint on this chapter, I can assure you that.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, Rooster Teeth does. That is all.**

* * *

The following day, Team RRWBY were once again in Professor Port's class. The professor was telling one of his _amazing_ tales on how he single handedly fought off a Beowolf when he was a child.

Ringo, Yang, and Ruby were close to dozing off. Blake was reading her book, as usual. It appeared that Weiss was writing down some notes. However, she wasn't writing down something related to the class. She was writing a list of some sort, occasionally glancing at her partner.

 _'I finished my Dream Boyfriend checklist. Time to see whether Ringo would qualify.'_ Weiss held the paper close to her chest. She slowly read over the first sentence.

 _'First, he must be as smart as me.'_ Weiss furrowed her eyebrows. This was something she wasn't exactly sure of since Ringo never participated unless called on.

"Mr. Yin!" Professor Port bellowed. Ringo snapped out of his dazed state. "Since you feel the need to sleep then I suppose you know the difference between the behavior of younger Beowolves and older Beowolves!"

Ringo blinked. "Uh… one's old and the other is young?"

The entire class laughed at his answer. Blake merely shook her head. Yang laughed at his face. Ruby giggled. Weiss sighed and crossed off smart on her list.

* * *

 _'Next on the list, he has to have as much money as me.'_ Even if it did sound wrong, Weiss didn't want to have to pay for everything. She wanted someone who could support themselves just fine.

She stood by a nearby vending machine. Weiss waited until Ringo came strolling by.

"What did you need again?" He asked.

Weiss placed her hand on the vending machine. "I left my money in the dorm. Would you mind buying me this? I'll pay you back later. I'm hungry right now!"

Ringo nodded. "Sure! If you're really that hungry." He pulled out his wallet and opened it. A cloud of dust resurfaced from the wallet and a couple of flies flew out of it. Ringo shoved his eye near the opening.

He frowned and dump everything in his wallet to the ground. Only a few measly pennies fell out.

"I guess I forgot that I was broke right now. Sorry, Weiss," Ringo apologized.

Suddenly, Nora came from out of nowhere and scooped up the pennies in her hands. "Ooh! Lucky pennies!" She bolted away from the scene, laughing.

"Hey! That's my money! Give it back!" Ringo chased after her, shouting curses at the girl.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, crossing off rich on her list.

* * *

 _'Charming! He has to at least be charming!'_ Weiss crossed her fingers. She approached Ringo hesitantly.

Unfortunately for Weiss, she chose the wrong time to speak to him.

"Ringo? I was just wondering how-"

"Wah! I miss you, Coco!" Ringo wailed, holding a picture of Coco in his hands. She was winking and puckered her lips. "You're the only one I'll ever love!"

Weiss snatched the picture from his hands and threw it as far as she could. Ringo ran after the flying portrait.

Weiss crossed off charming from her list.

* * *

Over the course of the day, Weiss crossed off more and more things from her checklist. It worried her how far Ringo was from her ideal boyfriend.

 _'There's one more thing on the list. Ringo has to get this! He just has to!'_ Weiss was dressed for bed. She was in her light blue nightgown. Her face was all natural, no signs of makeup on. She let down her hair, which reached down to her waist.

Like the previous nights, everyone but her and Ringo were asleep. She knew Ringo wasn't sleeping. It was why she decided to do this now.

Weiss slid under his covers and pretended to cry. This got Ringo's attention immediately.

"Woah! Weiss, what's wrong?" Ringo asked, not questioning why she got in his bed for the second time in a row.

"S-someone called me ugly. They're right. Wearing makeup isn't enough to hide my hideous face," Weiss whimpered. She was confident enough in her acting skills.

Ringo fell for the bait. "What? But you're hot-erm I mean you're… you're…." His face turned as red as Weiss'. He didn't expect himself to call her hot without thinking. "You're beautiful, Weiss. With or without makeup. Don't let some person get you down. They're just jealous that they can't be a gorgeous as you."

"Ringo…" Weiss hugged her partner, grateful for his words.

"Who was this person anyway? If you want, I can go have a nice chit chat with them." Ringo ran his hand through her long white hair.

"No, it's alright. I feel better now." Weiss closed her eyes, loving his gentle touch.

 _'Sweet and caring? Check.'_

* * *

Ringo awoke with a yawn. He unconsciously pulled Weiss in closer, placing his chin above her head. He opened his eyes, seeing some light from the curtains.

 _'Woah. I made it 'till morning. That's a new record for sleep.'_ Ringo spent this week with someone in his bed. Monday was with Ruby, and then Weiss for Tuesday and Wednesday. He slept longer than he would have if he was alone.

 _'Is this the cure? I need the comfort of someone with me? Eh… but that's kinda strange.'_ It would be weird if he asked someone to sleep by him every night. That excluded Coco because they were dating in the past. Asking that of Weiss or anyone on the team would make him sound like a creep.

 _'Then again, I'm not sure why Weiss slept here again. She didn't have a nightmare._ ' Ringo oddly didn't mind it. He felt closer to Weiss than ever before. It was strange. Never in his life would he ever imagine that he'd go from hating someone to sleeping with them.

He misjudged Weiss from the start. Ringo thought she was just a stuck-up person because of her family name. She was far from it, at least to people she didn't know. That was a different story.

 _'Coco… I still got to apologize. I can't be thinking about relationships with others.'_ Unless he was really smitten to someone, Ringo didn't have the urge to get into another relationship if he chose to end it with Coco. It would be too soon, after he and Coco went through a lot together.

"What are you two doing?" Blake woke up at her usual time. Since Ringo actually slept, he wasn't prepared for this.

"Uhhhhhhhh…." Ringo didn't know what to say now that he was caught in the act. Unfortunately for him, Weiss decided to wake up.

"Ringo…" Weiss nuzzled her head on the croon of his neck. She sat up and rubbed the sleep in her eyes. "What's wrong?" He simply pointed at Blake.

Weiss regained her vision. When her eyes met Blake's, she froze. "B-blake!?" She quickly bounced off his bed and landed on the ground.

"Good morning," Blake said cooly.

"Ah! Y-you didn't see anything! You're still dreaming!" Weiss' voice got louder as she panicked.

Blake pinched the skin of her arm. "Nope. Not dreaming." She glanced at Weiss, and then at Ringo. "I didn't know the two of you started dating."

"N-no!" Weiss' face got even redder. "We're not dating! I just… I just slept on the wrong bed is all! Right, doctor?"

 _'Why is she dragging me into this!?'_

"Yeah…" Ringo's answer screamed fake.

Weiss sat on the ground, defeated. If Blake were to tell everyone… she had no idea what she was going to do. Rumors would spread everywhere. She wasn't going to go a single day without someone asking her if she was with Ringo.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Weiss said softly.

"If it matters that much to you, then no." Blake didn't seem to care about the situation that much.

Weiss didn't believe her. "I-I'll give you money! Anything! Just name it!"

"I don't need anything." Blake found it pretty amusing that a Schnee was begging her to not do something.

"New dress? A new bow? Please! I'll do anything!" Weiss repeated.

"Geez. I didn't know being with me is that disgusting." Ringo went in the bathroom with a frown on his face.

"Wait, Ringo! It isn't that!" Weiss called out to him, but he already closed the door. She groaned and sprawled out on the floor.

"...you're weird." Blake left it at that. She resumed reading her book, disinterested with the conversation.

It wasn't long before Ruby and Yang woke up. Weiss clenched her fists in anticipation. Blake never did utter a word other than a good morning. Weiss was safe… for now.

"Ugh, I don't think I can stand another class with Professor Port. Guy literally loses track of his _'own'_ lesson and talks about something unimportant;" Ringo complained to his team as they were getting ready to leave.

"You can say that again." Yang grinned. "How about we bet? Whoever sleeps first is the loser!" It was the perfect material for betting! Yang felt like a genius for coming up with it.

"You already took all my money from pool," He deadpanned.

"Oh right!" Yang laughed, patting her pocket full of money. "Then loser has to do whatever the winner says!"

Yang turned around and rubbed her hands together like a madman. "What Ring boy doesn't know is that I'm secretly going to get him to go out with me when I win. Hehehe~"

"We can hear you!" Ruby squeaked. Yang's laughter came to an abrupt end.

"Ringo will absolutely not take that bet!" Weiss crossed her arms. "And he'll also need to learn how to dress up properly!" She grabbed the hanging edge of his dress shirt and tucked it in. Weiss buttoned up his uniform, her eyes lingering on his chest.

"Is the princess jealous that she can't be in the bet?"

Weiss jumped. "N-no! And why can't I be included?"

"Duh. You're always up and taking notes. You're not allowed. Ruby is though. What do you want if you win?"

"Cookies!" Ruby responded eagerly. "What about Blake?"

"I don't want any part of this." Blake turned to the next page of her book.

"We can ask Jaune! The more the better!" Ruby smiled cutely.

"Yes, the more suckers I can get to do my bidding~" Yang snickered, not caring if she was talking out loud.

"When I win, I want my money back!" Ringo and Yang shared challenging looks, neither willing to back down.

When class rolled around, Yang, Ruby, and Ringo sat near each other. Jaune declined their offer, seeming distant. The three didn't notice this, too immersed in their bet.

"There I was, minding my own business when a Manticore came out of nowhere. It tried to ambush me. Your professor wasn't going to let this happen. No siree! So I grabbed a stick…" Professor Port's words stopped in the ears of the three betters.

"So… boring." Ringo passed the time by drawing pictures. His bored expression turned to that of a gleeful one. "Mehehe~"

Ringo drew a picture resembling that of Ruby's Professor Poop earlier in the semester. Yang smirked, drawing her own Professor Poop drawing.

The two shared each others drawings and burst out laughing. Ruby joined in on the laughter. Their laughing grew so loud that Professor Port stopped talking. They were so busy laughing that they didn't notice the professor heading their way.

"What's this!?" Professor Port picked up Ringo and Yang's drawings, eliciting exclamation marks to appear beside them. He examined both of the pieces of paper before crumpling them up. His face turned beet red out of embarrassment.

"Oh, so do I look like ' _Professor Poop'_ to you!?" He yelled, his whole body shifting into Ringo's description of the professor in his drawing. Ringo and Yang traded glances and shrugged. They were already busted so they howled in laughter.

"So this is funny to you? Does detention sound funny?!" Yang and Ringo halted their laughter. "You two are to come to my classroom, directly after classes end. We'll see if you're still laughing."

Ringo sweatdropped. He quickly pulled out another piece of paper from his pockets. "Ruby drew one too!" He showed him a now taped up the drawing Ruby made weeks ago. She did the mistake of writing down her name on it. He taped it afterafter Weiss tore it to shreds.

"Ringo! Why!?" Ruby teared up, betrayed.

"If we go down, you're coming with us!" Ringo yelled at the poor girl.

"Yeah!" Yang agreed, causing her to tear up even more because it was from her own sister.

"I'll be seeing the three of you in detention." Professor Port went back to the front of the classroom and continued teaching.

"Wah! I'm not getting any cookies! I'm getting detention instead!" Ruby cried out loud.

"I'm not getting my date either!" Yang exclaimed, disheartened.

"I'm still going to be broke!" Ringo groaned.

Weiss slammed her head on the desk, beyond humiliated by the behavior of her teammates. Blake got a kick out of it and chuckled.

"Silence!" Professor Port shouted, silencing Team RRWBY.

* * *

"Silver Jr! Get her!"

Teams RRWBY and JNPR were eating lunch with each other. Ringo, Ruby, and Yang were in a fight. Ringo ordered Silver Jr. to attack Yang's food. Silver Jr. smashed into Yang's tray from the inside of his hamster ball. He did this three more times for good measure.

"I'll kill that stupid rodent!" Yang's hair grew fiery. She jumped over the table and was in hot pursuit of the hamster.

"I hate you!" Ruby banged her little fists onto Ringo back. Ringo gave out commands to the hamster, like tripping Yang. Yang was none too pleased with this.

"Will there ever be a normal lunch with you five?" Ren said, exasperated.

"They managed to find themselves in detention," Weiss huffed, unhappy with the situation.

"Detention? Oh! I got one of those before! I just didn't go!" Nora chirped. Her sentence caused the three to stop what they were doing.

"Can you say that again?"

"I just didn't go?"

"That's it!" Yang, Ruby, and Ringo huddled up close together. Ruby took the opportunity to nuzzle her face against his shoulder.

"If we skip detention, all we have to do is avoid Port for the day," Ringo started.

"We're going on that field trip with Professor Peach tomorrow, so we won't see Port all day. Then there's the weekend," Yang added in.

"And we don't have to worry about Professor Port until Monday!" Ruby cheered. The three jumped in their huddled group, celebrating their conclusion.

"Nora, what happened after you skipped detention?" Weiss questioned.

"I got triple detention!" Nora pumped her fist in the air. Ren only nodded, confirming her words.

"Should we tell them?" Blake asked, looking at the cheery trio.

"It'll be their own fault for even skipping detention in the first place rather than facing the consequences of their actions." Weiss thought about the situation. Detention usually lasted about three hours. That'd only leave the three with dinner and then bed. More importantly, it would leave her without Ringo's company and with Blake's instead. After this morning, she was more wary of Blake.

"Wait! Doctor, if you do then you'll get even more detention days!" Weiss warned him. Yang, Ruby, and Ringo's celebration was shortly lived.

"Eh!? Really? Aw man!" Ringo hung his head low. "Thanks for telling us, Weiss. I don't think I could've survives more detention days."

Weiss face brightened. "You're welcome."

Silver Jr. made a ramp with some of the trays and soared into the air with his hamster ball. He bounced off Yang's head and landed back on the floor.

"I'm about done with that little rodent!" Yang sent after the hamster. Ruby went back to hitting Ringo while he shouted orders to Silver Jr.

"There they go again…" Weiss banged her head on the table.

Pyrrha giggled softly at their behavior. She stopped when she noticed Jaune was over by one of the tables with Team CRDL. Jaune was holding Cardin's lunch tray for him. Cardin _'accidentally'_ tripped Jaune, causing his face to go splat on the food tray.

Cardin and his goons laughed, along with some of the nearby students who saw him. Pyrrha clenched her fists, watching Jaune wipe the food from his face with a napkin.

Cardin proceeded to _'mistakenly'_ spill his carton of milk. It ended up spilling onto Jaune's head, drenching his hair, face, and upper body with milk. More laughter erupted from the dining hall.

Pyrrha gritted her teeth. Ren and Nora were the same, sending dirty glares to Cardin and his team.

Ringo heard the laughing and stopped giving commands to his hamster. He looked over to where it originated and saw Jaune on the ground. Cardin stood triumphantly over him.

"Hang on there, little red." Ringo picked up Ruby and placed her on the seat next to him. He reassured her with a pat on the head. With an open space in front of him, he got up and moved a bit forward so that no one was at his side.

Taking a deep breath, Ringo slowly went into Treatment Mode. He snapped his head back and flung a bundle of Shock Therapy at Cardin.

"Aghh!" Cardin screamed, surprising his teammates and Jaune. Ringo's sinister laugh was all too familiar to Cardin. "I told you to get away from me, you freak!" He ran off with his team in tow. Jaune sat on the floor, wondering what the hell happened.

Ringo slapped his cheek, getting rid of all traces of his craziness. He got out of Treatment Mode and was back to himself.

"Ugh. That's getting so much harder to do." Ringo left his table and went to where Jaune was. He crouched down and offered his hand. "Jaune, let's go and have a chat, shall we?"

"Ringo… I-I can't-"

"I know, I know." Ringo helped Jaune up and led him to the exit. He casted dark looks to those who laughed at Jaune. He then looked back at Pyrrha. She mouthed a _'thank you.'_ Her eyes were pleading, indirectly begging him to find out what Jaune's deal was.

The two stood outside at the courtyard. Ringo assisted Jaune by drying him up. Once they were done, he confronted the younger teen.

"Alright Jaune, let's cut to the chase. Why are you letting Cardin push you around?"

"Cardin isn't-"

"You're not fooling anyone. Everyone knows that it's you he's targeting. You still wanna keep your mouth shut?" Ringo waited for Jaune to talk, but he never did. It was pretty hopeless. Ringo could see it in his eyes. He wanted help, but something was holding him back.

 _'This is so like last year.'_ Ringo smiled briefly, remembering the past. _'Maybe it wouldn't hurt telling Jaune.'_

"Hey Jaune, we aren't that different. I had a bully when I started Beacon too," He admitted bashfully. It was funny when he thought about it.

"You did?" Jaune's eyes widened. "B-but you're like one of the strongest people I know! You can't have ever been bullied!"

Jaune couldn't believe it. Ringo could be terrifying at times. Hell, Cardin was scared of him! He doubted that anyone would dare bully him.

"I was bullied. Heh, I even remember that I stayed up all night, fearing what they'd do to me the next day. It was that bad. I was teased, humiliated, all that good stuff. And you know what I did? I kept it a secret."

"That's stupid. Yourlife sounds rough." Jaune fell for his trick.

"Stupid? Isn't that what you're doing with your team?" Jaune stayed silent, eyes glued to the ground. "My life has been tough. I never would've had the courage to stand up to my bully if it wasn't for my team. They found out and cornered me until I confessed. I'll tell you something I haven't told anyone before."

Jaune listened in, curious to what he had to say. It was surprising that he was going to be the first one to know whatever secret he had to share.

"My semblance is strong. It has more downsides than you think. When I confronted my bully, he tried to beat me up. I fought back. I went out of control. I made him go crazy, like _really_ crazy." Ringo recalled the memory just fine. It was the only time he used tier three Madness. The effects were hazardous. It made Ringo vow to never go to tier three on a human without a very good reason.

"I think that he got sent to a mental hospital for like a month." Jaune gulped, taking a few steps back. "I promised my team that I'd never go that far again." Jaune sighed in relief. "My bully and his team outright refused to come back while I was still around. They all transferred to Haven Academy, so I never saw any of them again."

Jaune was speechless. He had no idea what to say after that. Seeing this, Ringo continued.

"Point is, I couldn't have ever stood up to my bully without my team's help. Pyrrha seems like she wants to help out." He nudged his shoulder, hoping that he'd get the message.

"There's nothing wrong with me. I don't know how many times I have to say it," Jaune scoffed.

"And I don't know how many times we tell you that you're full of shit," Ringo countered. "Look Jaune, I get it. You don't want to be a burden. You can easily get rid of that feeling if you man up. I have to live with mine forever." He leaned against a tree and stared at the Beacon Tower.

"Ringo?" Jaune called out to him, concerned.

"My team isn't here as you may have noticed by now. I have to live with the burden knowing that I'm the last one left. But hey, it isn't as bad as it is now. I got my new team to support me. Granted I only told Weiss, but she's a big help on her own." His face heated up slightly, thinking back to last night and the night before that.

"It's just something to think about, Jaune. In my eyes, there's another reason why everyone's put on teams other than fighting. We're here to help each other grow, otherwise we won't make it in the real world." Ringo patted Jaune on the shoulder. He walked away, leaving Jaune to think about what he said.

* * *

"I sincerely hope you three will learn your lesson. You're in detention for your own good." Professor Port brought a chair and sat on it. He began to read a magazine with a picture of a Beowolf on the cover.

Ruby, Yang, and Ringo were seated in different sections of the classroom. Port wanted them separated so they wouldn't get any bright ideas.

Ringo put his head down. "Ugh… this is going to be a long three hours." He heard something come from behind him. He instinctively catched whatever it was. It turned out to be a small piece of paper.

Ringo read over it:

 _Bet is still on~_

 _-Yang_

Ringo quirked an eyebrow. He looked back to where Yang was. She winked, licking her lips suggestively. Ringo cringed and turned his attention back to the note.

 _'Why does she want a date with me? I haven't done anything that could have gotten her attention. Though, I don't think it'd be that bad…'_ Ringo closed his eyes, getting an image of Yang in his mind. She was more well-developed than Coco.

 _'Ah! Coco! I can't think of other girls like that!'_ Ringo had to make it his mission to win this bet. He sat up straight. If he fell asleep, then it was over for him. His eyes went to Ruby next. She knew the bet was still on too, judging by how hyperactive she was being.

An hour passed. Nothing too big happened. Yang, Ruby, and Ringo remained awake. Two out of the three were showing signs of sleepiness.

Ruby yawned tiredly. She secretly dug into her hoodie, grabbing a cookie and quietly nibbled on it. The sugar in it was what was keeping her up.

Ringo felt his head dropped several times. He slapped himself, trying to keep awake. He caught what Ruby was doing a devised a plan.

 _'I have to take out the competition. Sorry, Ruby.'_

"Professor Port! Ruby Rose is eating cookies in detention!" Ringo busted his leader. Ruby choked in the middle of her cookie eating.

"Is she now? Eating is not allowed during detention!" Professor Port stomped towards the crimson haired girl. Ruby's cheeks puffed out, mainly due to the chunks of cookies she feared to swallow.

"Miss Rose, show me what's in your mouth." Ruby shook her head. "Don't make me ask twice." Ruby shook her head again. "Do you want another day of detention?"

Ruby teared up. She swallowed the remaining chunks in her mouth. She pulled out all of the cookies from her hood and gave it to the professor.

"Good girl. Now let me tell you a story about the only time I misbehaved. It ought to teach you a thing or two before you go and try to do it again. So there I was, a handsome youthful teen…"

It didn't take very long for Ruby to fall asleep. Professor Port was too busy telling his tale to notice. Ringo and Yang remained in the high stake bet.

 _'That date is as good as mine!'_ Yang grinned, seeing Ringo resisting his sleepiness desperately.

 _'No… must get my money back.'_ Ringo head rested on the desk. _'Have to get Coco those expensive earrings she wanted…'_

"For Coco!" Ringo exclaimed, slapping himself hard on the cheek. So hard that he somehow managed to knock himself out, thus giving Yang the win.

 _'He's a bit of an airhead…'_ Yang sweatdropped. _'But he'll be my airhead soon!'_ She did air punches, squealing in delight.

Two hours later, detention was over. A drowsy Ruby and Ringo left with the victorious Yang in front of them.

"Haha! Yes! I won that date with you, Ring boy!" Yang boasted, looping her arm around the half-awake Ringo.

"Fuck you," Ringo growled, clearly unhappy with the outcome. Yang smacked the back of his head.

"Watch that tongue! I won't have my date talk to me like that. Speaking of which, I think I'm free around the weekend." Yang's excitement fell significantly, spotting Ringo's displeasure for their date.

"Coco is so going to get on my ass if she hears about this." Ringo covered his face with his hands, stressed.

"Hey, it's okay if you don't want to do it," Yang assured him. She felt bad for forcing him to do it. It did hurt that he was against dating her. Although, that could be just because he still held a flame for Coco.

"No. A bet's a bet." Ringo smiled weakly. "I'm a man of my word. I agreed to the bet so it's my job go honor it. Don't sweat it. I've been planning to talk to Coco about our relationship anyway."

"If you say so." Yang cheered up a little. "I'll make it up to you. I'll give you your money back." Ringo grinned. "But you have to use it for our date~" He pushed her away, Yang giggling playfully.

Ruby brushed past the two, balling up her fists. She moved ahead of them, unresponsive.

 _'Aww… someone not happy that they don't have a date with Ring boy.'_

"As I recall, the loser does whatever the winner tells them," Ringo reminded her. "Ruby lost too. What are you going to have her to?"

"I got the perfect idea." Yang ran up to her sister and grabbed her by the shoulders. Ruby struggled against her older sister's grasp. Her breath hitched when she was brought up real close to Ringo's face.

"Kiss him," Yang said, baffling the two. "You lost Ruby, so you have to do what I say. And I say kiss him… on the lips!" She added in that part so there'd be no loophole around it.

"Aye… Yang, q-quit it," Ringo stuttered, keeping notice of the dreamy look on Ruby's eyes. "I'm not comfortable kissing someone while I'm still hung up about Coco."

"Fine. Slap him on the wrist or something," Yang grunted. She had to get on his good side somehow.

Ruby snapped out of her daze. She giggled and slapped Ringo's wrist. The two playfully hit each on their way to the dining hall.

When they did make it, they saw Weiss sitting there uncomfortably with Blake, who was reading as per usual. Team JNPR wasn't there, most likely having been done with dinner a while ago.

"Doctor! You're back!" Weiss beckoned him to the seat next to her, hoping to break the ice between her and Blake.

"I won the bet! I won the bet!" Yang paraded over to the seat that was supposed to be Ringo's. Weiss was visibly annoyed by her.

"Haha~ I got a date with Ring boy and you don't!" Yang bragged, the news alerting the heiress.

"You whaaat?!"

"So you're dating Yang now?" Ringo sat next to Blake. Ruby went to go get some dinner for her and Yang.

"Long story."

"I have time."

"I don't really want to talk about it though."

"If you hurt Yang or Weiss-"

"It's fine. Rest easy my feline friend." Both of their eyes widened, Ringo not meaning to say that out loud. "l-I mean cat-no! I mean cat… cat… your bow! That's what I meant! Haha!" Ringo shrinked, feelings Blake's eyes pierce through his form.

"You, me, we have to talk." Blake grabbed his wrist and dragged him out the dining room. Ringo winced, her sharp nails digging into his skin.

Blake pulled him far away from the dining hall and shoved him against the wall. She threatened him by having her sharp nails near his throat.

"Isn't this going overboard? Come on, we're teammates!" Ringo pleaded for his life.

"How do you know about my secret?" Blake pointed to her bow, not saying that she was a faunus out loud just in case she was mistaken.

"It wasn't that hard. I noticed it the day we met. Your bow twitches, meaning that you had animal ears. Since your bow has cat ears, I just assumed you were a… cat faunus," He whispered, catching her drift of being quiet.

Blake closed her eyes, sighing heavily. "You're not going to tell the others, are you? If you do I'll tell them you and Weiss are dating." She was thankful that she caught them in the act. Now she had some leverage on him if he were to spill the beans.

"We're not dating!" Ringo huffed. "I wasn't planning on telling anyone anyway. I happen to know someone that is just like you."

"You do?" Blake questioned, skeptical.

"One of my teammates, Leia Argento, was a cat faunus too. Do you recognize the name?"

Blake shook her head. "The name doesn't sound familiar. Sorry." Ringo seemed disappointed, but shook it off.

"Oh well. Leia used to hide it too. She told us after initiation. Why haven't you told the others yet?"

Blake let go of him and turned her. She crossed her arms and lowered her head.

"I don't know. I just have a lot of baggage, as a faunus. I hate being discriminated upon. Since Weiss is the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, I believe it's best to keep it a secret."

Ringo began to laugh, confusing the hidden faunus.

"You don't like the company either?" Blake let a small smile escape her lips. "I don't like them much. It's why I argued with Weiss a lot during the first week."

Ringo looked around. "Let's head back to the dorm. It'll be more private to speak there."

Blake agreed, so the two retreated back to their dorm. They received a few questionable stares but they ignored it.

The two closed the door shut behind them. Ringo sat down on Weiss' bed, thinking that she wouldn't mind. After all, she slept in his bed.

"Are you comfortable showing your ears?" Blake looked at him, as if saying, _'What do you think?'_ "Hehe, right. Guess I should explain myself. I was born in Vacuo. That place is a wasteland. There's an official rule that everyone there knows. If you can survive here, then you are welcome here."

Blake listened in intently. She knew that Vacuo was home to many faunus species. She was intrigued to find out more about her teammate.

Ringo tilted his head up, visualizing his story as he shared it. "Vacuo is a shitty place to live in, not gonna lie. I'm going to tell you something, please don't get angry with me."

"Can't make any promises." Blake shrugged.

"I used to be a faunus hater." Blake pounced on the older teen and punched him in the jaw. She would've gone for another flurry of punches if Ringo hadn't pushed her off. "I said used! Used! I'm not like that anymore!"

"Prove it!" Blake hissed, her blood boiling.

"Leia! We were teammates!" Ringo showed her the picture from under the pillow with one hand, the other covering his face protectively.

Blake examined the picture. Ringo wasn't lying when he said that his faunus friend hid her ears. Leia was wearing a cap that had a cat face on it.

"I'll believe you for now. Just know I'm keeping an eye on you." Her eyes resembled that of cat-like slits. Ringo nodded frantically.

"Let me finish my story!" Blake relented, sitting back on her own bed. "I was only a faunus hater because of an incident. See." Ringo lifted up his shirt. Blake covered her eyes, gesturing him to pull down his shirt. "D-don't flatter yourself! I'm not seducing you! Just look!"

Blake slowly removed her hands from her eyes. She regretted doing so once she got a good view of him.

There was one big scar where his heart should be. The scar's perimeter was the perfect size and shape to that of a heart.

"This is how I got my semblance. Though, I didn't tell you what it exactly is." Ringo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

He explained the basics of his semblance, Shock Therapy. Why he acted like a lunatic half the time and why he slept a lot. He intentionally left out the part of why his aura meter is half full. Blake officially became the second person on the team to know about his semblance after that night.

"Not that I don't care, but what does your semblance have to do with your hatred towards faunus?" Blake asked, her tone growing softer because of what Ringo told her.

Ringo pulled down his shirt. "There was this male faunus. He's roughly five years older than me. I was around six at the time when he found me. I was parentless, just like him. We decided to travel around Vacuo together. Hell, I even considered him as my older brother at one point. That's how close we grew." He paused, glancing out the window and at the setting sun.

"He was a tolerant guy. Even though we were at Vacuo, we occasionally ran into the Schnee Dust Company. They discriminated against him and constantly believed he was kidnapping me. They wanted him to work for them, but we've seen how they used the faunus as labor forces. He was a part of the White Fang."

Blake flinched, memories of her time with the organization coming back.

"Since he was, we peacefully protested with the other faunus. I think I was one of the only humans a part of it. I was never officially a member, but they treated me as such and I knew some of their names. I never got the leader's name though." Blake's shoulders relaxed, somewhat relieved he had no idea who ran the White Fang during their time as an activist group.

"I noticed over the course of the time that most of the faunus were getting tired of the continued discrimination. Their attempts for peace wasn't working. Even my friend was starting to feel this way. When I was thirteen, I remember that the leader stepped down and in came the new leader, Sienna, I think. It was the day after this all took place, I saved up enough money to afford a trip to Vale and finally escape Vacuo. I-I should've kept quiet…" Ringo placed a hand over his heart, feeling the electricity circulate through his palm.

"H-he completely lost his mind. He screamed at me, calling me a traitor and how I was just like the rest of the humans. He captured me, got some of his buddies involved. Th-they did experiments on me. Said it was for the good of the world. I got my semblance because of a fucking experiment. I only got out when the Schnee Dust Company got suspicious and sent the Atlesian Military over. I hated the faunus because of that incident. I only stopped when I met Leia and Velvet. They reminded me that not all faunus were evil bastards. That, Blake, is why I used to be a Faunus hater," Ringo finished his story, not realizing his eyes were watery.

Blake stared at the floor, overwhelmed by the information. The White Fang was trouble even before she fully realized it. To do experiments on someone was downright cruel. Having seen it in person struck a nerve in her. She was glad that she left the organization before it was too late for her.

She got up and wrapped her arms around the emotional teen. Ringo gratefully returned the hug, sniffling lightly.

"Ringo, who was this guy that did this to you?" Blake asked seriously. Maybe she knew him during her time as a member. If so, she was certain that she'd keep a lookout for him.

"I-I never told you?" Ringo chuckled dryly. "Sorry. His name is-"

The door suddenly opened, and in came Ruby, Yang, and Weiss. Blake and Ringo quickly detached from each other, looking at opposite directions.

"So this is where you two went. You just left without telling anyone where you were going," Weiss scolded the two.

"I thought you two were snogging in the locker room. Guess I was wrong~" Yang teased, earning a blank expression from Ringo and Blake.

"Uh… right." Ringo wiped his tears with his hands and got up. "I'm going to get ready for bed." He headed inside the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"What did you two talk about?" Ruby inquired, mystified.

Blake smiled. "Nothing you should worry about. We were just getting to know each other."

"No fair! I still haven't done that!" Ruby whined.

Weiss' eyes sharpened at Blake. "What were you talking about exactly?"

Blake grabbed her book and opened it to the last page she was on. She began to read without a care in the world.

Weiss scowled, none too pleased from being completely disregarded.

* * *

It was around midnight. Ringo was wide awake. He thought back to everything he told to Blake. While he was glad to have finally told someone on the team about his past, he was unsure if she was the right person. They hadn't talked that much at all. Though, she could somewhat relate to his story due to her being a faunus.

He felt someone get inside his covers. Ringo sighed in annoyance, having been fed up with a certain heiress sleeping in his bed for the past two days.

"Weiss, can't you sleep in your own bed for once?" He turned his body around, seeing Weiss in her usual nighttime get-up. "I've had a long day so I'd appreciate it if you hop on out."

"I-I had another nightmare." Weiss made up a quick excuse.

"We both know you didn't have a nightmare. Get out," Ringo repeated, glaring at his partner.

Weiss sighed, avoiding his eyes. "Truth is, I sleep better when I'm with you." Her cheeks lit up red. "D-don't deny it! You feel the same way. You haven't been sleeping in classes these past two days. You should consider yourself lucky that I'm even offering you this!" Her snobby side came out briefly.

Ringo knew she was right, but he didn't want to admit it. It was weird even thinking about it. Not the having a sleeping buddy part, more so who it was. Coco kept coming back in his mind time after time. It was a bit worrying how much she was having an impact in his life when she was even there. It wasn't healthy. He had to do something about her soon, or else he might chicken out.

Whenever he looked at Weiss, his heartbeat increased. He hadn't felt this way since he and Coco first started dating. It was about a month in and he already starting to develop feelings for the heiress. Ringo didn't realize it yet, but he would soon figure it out himself.

For now, Ringo didn't like the bratty side of Weiss. He decided to poke fun of her.

"I could just ask Yang. We're about to go on that date on the weekend anyway." Ringo made it seem like he was about to get up. It worked. Weiss latched onto his arm immediately.

"No! Just please… let me stay with you," Weiss pleaded. Ringo gave in, ignoring the knots forming in his stomach. He drew Weiss closer to him and lifted her over his body so that she was on the other side.

"Since you were so worried about being caught, this way no one can see you." His bed was on pressed up against the same side as the door. Yang, Ruby, and Blake would only see his back, not Weiss.

"Smart." Weiss made a mental note to revisit her list later. She pushed her back onto his chest. "Well?"

 _'She really wants me to… shit. That talk with Coco has to be before my date with Yang. For sure.'_ Ringo didn't wish to be known as an unfaithful partner. Everything was happening so fast, he couldn't handle all of this at once.

Ringo interlinked his arms around Weiss' body, spooning her. She sighed, content with the position. She eventually fell asleep peacefully. Ringo had one last thought before he slept too.

 _'These girls really are going to be the end of me.'_

 **xxxxx**

 **Second Author's Note: Ringo does reveal more to Blake than Weiss, but as you can tell, Weiss will be the first official romantic partner. His constant resistance because if Coco wil go away next chapter, which has been little annoying. Ringo's past is shown, revealing his past hatred towards the SDC and Faunus. I think I made it obvious by now on who killed his teammates. The full truth will come after the Forever Fall chapter. Ringo's insanity will be seen again next chapter along with his role in the episode. Yang and Ringo's date will happen following or during the Stray/Black and White episodes.** **The harem is pretty much the same as before. I'm willing to take any suggestions for the harem into consideration, mostly checking to see if they can fit into the plot that I'm making. I have decided to add lemons in the near future so there's that, I guess. Stay tuned.**


	6. Forever Fall

**Author's Note: I could've done better with the episode itself but somehow a portion of the story got deleted without me noticing so some of it may look rushed. There's a lime in this chapter, I think that's the term for it, I dunno. I know a good chunk of y'all came just for it. Speaking of which, thanks for the support for this first month of the story. It's growing faster than my other stories in such a short period of time. With that said, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Question for you all, should the date with Yang come before or after the Blake and White? The Stray has to come first as I already made a timeline that I'm sticking to. It's Friday at the end of the chapter, and I'm certain that The Stray takes place on the weekend. I'm probably not gonna get an answer anyway but it doesn't hurt to ask.**

 **Linkonpark100: Yeah, it will be. Plus, something happens in this chapter that'll get Coco more pissed.**

 **Guest Q: Thanks! Goodwitch does have a reason for hating Ringo. It's not really a surprise since I gave a hint last chapter. Just so you find it, look back to when Ringo names the casualties. I have gotten past season three so feel free to suggest the character you wanted.**

 **As for your suggestions, Nora could be one but I'm kinda in the RenxNora vibe. Maybe if more people want it then. I can be easily persuaded by a majority count. Penny is an interesting choice. I have that under my highly considered category along with Winter. Neo… hmmm, I'll have to think about her some more, though I won't count her out either.**

 **Razmire: You're right. It's one of the two. Only the first two seasons and get your information from Fanfiction? That was me until I started to watch it some more :D. Someone else mentioned Emerald so I'm gonna say that she's highly considered too. She has a type of personality that intrigues me. Imma leave a tiny spoiler right here and say that Pyrrha isn't dying in this fanfic. That doesn't mean things will be okay though.**

 **Blaze1992: That's fine. I won't judge you because I have the same type of issue when I read fanfics too. Really angsty parts tend to annoy me too. But it'll have to remain in this story for the plot, I'll tone it done a bit because of your feedback.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. That's all.**

* * *

Team RRWBY were all up and dressed in their casual clothing. Though, Ringo still had to wear his school uniform. It would only be a few more days until he got his ordered clothing.

Currently, they were chatting amongst themselves.

"So you talked to Jaune last night?" Ringo scratched his head, not remembering hearing her leave the dorm last night. Weiss didn't either, which made her nervous if Ruby saw them with each other last night.

"Yep! I just gave him a little pep talk. That's all." Ruby nodded, straightening her hoodie.

Ringo's scroll beeped. He opened it and read the message, groaning afterwards.

"Pyrrha just texted. Says Professor Peach doesn't want to go to the dangerous forest so Goodwitch is filling in her place." Ringo thought it was going to be an exciting field trip. He did the same thing last year so that gave him a huge advantage.

However, with Professor Goodwitch there, she was sure to ruin the whole trip for him.

"What's Goodwitch got against you? The only thing I can remember is you accidentally calling her Goodbi-" Yang remembered that Ruby was in the room. "You know what you said."

Ringo chuckled, not feeling bad for calling the professor that.

"I don't really know. She was nice to me last year… but after the incident, she started being more stricter towards me specifically." His face scrunched up slightly, trying to figure out her reasoning.

"Surely you had to have done something to make her not like you," Weiss said. "Since it's you, there's so many endless possibilities."

"Hey!"

"We're going to be late if we don't hurry up." Blake urged them to speed up. She went to grab her book until Ringo got to it first.

"No books on a field trip, you nerd." Ringo read the title and immediately busted out laughing. "You actually read this!? And I thought Silver was the only one who reads erot-"

"Give that back!" Blake hissed, her cheeks flushed.

"Nope! You shouldn't have this filth, especially with Ruby around!" Ringo stored the book inside his uniform somehow. Blake resisted the urge to beat him up severely.

"Let's go, Team RRWBY! We got a forest to get to!" Ruby pushed all four of them out the door. She ignored their protests and slammed the door in a hurry.

* * *

Teams RRWBY, JNPR, and CRDL were the first teams to go on the field trip. The others would have to go on the weekend. They were in a Bullhead, on their way to Forever Fall.

Everyone sat with their respective teams. Although, Jaune was sitting by Cardin while suffering from a noogie.

"Come on, let us sleep until we get there," Ringo moaned.

"No. If I do let you sleep, you'll just be tired during our field trip!" Weiss snapped, smacking his arm.

"But Ruby's sleeping!" Ringo gestured over to his lap. Ruby was fast asleep, her head snuggling into his lap.

"I'll make sure she gets up then!" Weiss' hand hovered over Ruby's face, ready to awaken her leader.

Ringo slapped her hand away, protecting Ruby's head with his arms.

"Don't you know it's rude to force someone to wake up?" Ringo patted Ruby's head. "Besides, I think it's cute that she doing this."

Yang overheard him and grinned. "Don't you go falling in love with my sister. We still got that date~"

"Yeah, yeah," Ringo grumbled. "We should play a game until we make it to Forever Fall."

"Ooh! Let's do I Spy! I spy with my little eyes something cute!" Yang cooed.

Ringo had a bad feeling about this. "Is it-"

"It's you~"

"Ugh. No more games!" Ringo scowled, Yang giggling playfully.

Ringo spent the rest of the trip sleeping. He honestly didn't care if Weiss disapproved. If his team leader showed an example by sleeping, then it'd be right if he followed it.

He woke up when he felt a stinging pain coming from his ear. Ringo jumped up, unintentionally causing Ruby to fall to the ground.

"Up! Up!" Weiss clapped her hands loudly. "We're here!"

"Ah! What's going on? Are we getting robbed!?" Ringo gasped, swinging his head left and right. Ruby took his words to heart and panicked.

"We're going to die!?" Ruby clutched onto Ringo's body, the two screaming for their lives.

Glynda came over and smacked the two on top of the head with her riding crop. Red bumps could be seen forming on their head.

"Settle down! We are not going to die!" Goodwitch screeched. That was enough to quiet down the two.

Weiss slapped her forehead, embarrassed. Yang chuckled awkwardly. Blake was already out the Bullhead.

"Mr. Arc! Carry the case of jars! Everyone else, follow me!" Jaune groaned, not liking to have to be chosen on. Team RRWBY, JNPR, and CRDL followed Professor Goodwitch across Forever Fall.

Team RRWBY were in awe at their surroundings. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren were too. Jaune was too busy carrying the jars to notice. Team CRDL simply didn't care. Their minds were focused on the prank they were going to pull with Jaune's help.

"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sightsee," Professor Goodwitch said to the group. "Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."

The grouped stopped along with Glynda. Jaune tried to catch up with everyone else, but accidentally ended up bumping into Cardin. Cardin growled. Jaune looked away, whistling innocently.

"Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so." Her eyes strictly narrowed at one Ringo Yin, who flinched. "Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap." She magically pulled out a jar of sap to show the students.

"However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun!" The professor dismissed the three teams.

Ruby and Yang smiled at one another. Blake and Weiss nodded. Ringo hugged himself, his body shook.

 _'He's dead!'_

 _'He's gone!'_

 _'Dead!'_

 _'You're next!'_

The voices in his head sounded furious. Ringo's eyes were wide open. A frantic expression was seen on his face.

Ringo aimlessly walked to a random direction. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake were too busy getting the jars to notice this.

Jaune, on the other hand, did see this and wanted to call out to him. He was getting worried for his friend. He attempted to sneak away from Cardin, but failed to do so.

"Come on, buddy! Let's go!" Cardin ordered. Jaune looked back to his team. Ren and Nora were already walking away to do their mission. Pyrrha had her eyes on him, staring sadly.

 _'I can't do this for much longer.'_ Jaune thought about his seperate talks with

Ruby and Ringo. They both taught him something. Ruby taught him that as his role as leader, he had to fulfill it or else they'd fall with him. Ringo taught him that it was okay to talk to his team about issues, and that it'll help him grow as a huntsman.

 _'After this field trip, I'll go to one of them.'_ Jaune made up his mind. Something had to be done. He turned away and followed Team CRDL, thinking of who to tell his secret to.

 _'Pyrrha's my partner. It would only make sense to go to her. But Ringo has the power to fully shut Cardin up. He can make him go crazy with that frightening power of his.'_

Jaune weighed his options. It highly favored Ringo, but the fact that Pyrrha wanted to help at the very beginning and she was his partner also mattered.

"Jaune!" Cardin pushed him back against a tree. Jaune somehow managed to keep his grasp on the jars. "Fill up these jars for us, will ya?"

"Sure, sure." Satisfied, Cardin let go of him and pointed at where they'd be. Jaune entered the forest, not thinking too much about it.

 _'Wait… didn't Professor Goodwitch say there were Grimm in here?'_ On queue, a loud growl came from behind him. Jaune yelped and bolted away from the noise.

He ran and ran as fast as he could. He would've made it farther too if it weren't for him seeing someone in his path.

"R-ringo!?" Jaune tripped while he tried to avoid hitting into him. He dropped all six empty jars in the process.

 _'Fear him!'_

 _'He's dead!'_

 _'They're here!'_

 _'You're next!'_

Ringo's face was filled with grim. He was on his knees, hands on his ears, as if to block the voices. It did nothing, only further angering them.

"Ringo? You don't look so hot," Jaune stated the obvious. Ringo didn't respond to him. "Ringo? It's Jaune. Jaune Arc. Your pal!"

 _'Don't trust him!'_

 _'Don't trust anyone!'_

 _'They're all here!'_

 _'Three down, one more left to go!'_

The voices then turned into deep groaning. The type of groaning a dying person would make. Ringo's eyes glistened, not able to handle the voices any longer.

"You're freaking me out, dude," Jaune said, the jars back in the case. The growl from before came back. Jaune wanted to make a run for it, but the growl was what snapped Ringo out of it.

"They're here…" Ringo repeated what the voices in his head said. A Beringal sprang from the shadows, scaring the daylights out of Jaune. Its size was damn right impressive.

The Beringal roared, beating its chest wildly. Jaune hid behind Ringo, expecting him to handle the Grimm.

"You're not supposed to be here…" Ringo spoke maliciously. His eyes looked dead, like no one was there anymore. An eerie aura surrounded Ringo.

The Beringal beat its chest again and charged at him. Its speed was fast, which made Jaune wonder why it stopped when it was inches from Ringo.

Ringo and the Beringal looked at each other. Red eyes meeting blue. The eerie aura from Ringo intensified. A sense of dread builded upon Jaune, electing him to take more steps back.

"Do it…" Ringo muttered, his voice strained. The Beringal stood frozen for a few seconds. It let out a cry of agony and hit its skull with its massive fists repeatedly. Blood spilled everywhere as it was crushing its own skull. Bones and teeth flew everywhere.

Jaune watched the scene, horrified. The last time he saw this was during Initiation. The Beringal was killing itself.

The Beringal collapsed, its head now gone and appearing mutilated. It almost made Jaune throw up his breakfast. The Beringal's corpse disappeared, along with the blood and bones.

 _'The Entity is pleased!'_

 _'It came from them!'_

 _'They're still here!'_

 _'Run or fight!'_

"Fuck!" Ringo screamed, clutching his head in pain. Jaune apprehensively approached his friend.

"R-ringo?" His tone was meek. The scene that Ringo displayed disturbed him greatly. How he was able to beat a creature of Grimm without saying or doing anything was a complete mystery.

"Hide, hide, hide." Ringo kept on saying those words as he walked away from Jaune. Jaune wanted to catch up to him, but glanced at the jars. He still had to do the mission for himself and Cardin's team.

"I don't want him to fail. Maybe I can give the sixth jar to him? If not, I hope his team has him covered." Jaune shook his head, temporarily forgetting about what he witnessed. He went to a nearby tree and began to collect its sap.

Once he grudgingly finished, Jaune went back to where Team CRDL was. He saw them relaxing against some stones. Jaune fell face first, dropping all six jars. Luckily, none of it spilled.

"Hey, great work, Jauney boy! Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Cardin grinned, inspecting the jars of sap.

Jaune's eyes were cross. ""I think I'm allergic to this stuff..."

"Great, great, great. So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself, why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there's only five of us?"

Jaune sat up, recollecting his bearings. "That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes."

"Well, come with me, and you'll find out," Cardin replied with his usual cocky demeanor. Jaune gulped wondering what this was all about.

* * *

"Ugh, where is he? He owes me big for doing this for him." Weiss was holding two jars of sap. One for her and the other for Ringo.

"Maybe he's doing his business," Yang put out coyly.

"For two hours?" Weiss fired back. "He was so excited for this field trip. He was even bragging about how he was going to show us how to do it since he had already done it last year. But he's not even here!" She kicked the tree, frustrated.

"Maybe something happened to him?" Ruby wondered out loud. "Pyrrha, did you see him?"

"Sorry, but I haven't;" Pyrrha responded, filling up her jar.

"Did Jaune see him?" Nora asked. "He could be out there with him right now."

"We both know where he's at," Pyrrha said bitterly. Nora solemnly nodded, understanding her words.

Meanwhile, Jaune and Team CRDL were up on a hill. Cardin appeared to be looking for someone.

"Dammit! Where is that freak!? Search for him." Jaune didn't know who he was referring to until Dove Bronzewing pointed at something. Jaune turned his head to see Ringo from afar, laying down on the ground with his eyes closed. It was hard to tell whether he was asleep or worse.

"Cardin, wh-what's going on?"

Cardin banged his fists on the ground "Payback. That freak thinks he's so tough. He got lucky and he's acting like a smug bastard about it." Cardin pulled out a box with the letter 'W' on it. "Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work."

Jaune laughed nervously, feeling someone grab his shoulders.

"Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week…"

 _'He actually reads those!?'_ Jaune sweatdropped. He initially thought about making Cardin look like a dumbass by writing random things down on the essay. He didn't go through with it though.

"These nasty things love sweets. I'm thinking it's about time we teach _'him'_ a thing or two." Cardin yanked Jaune up and shoved the jar of sap in his hands. "And you're going to do it."

Jaune gulped, "D-do what?"

"Hit him with the sap!" Cardin leaned in close with a menacing expression on his face. "Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon," He threatened.

Jaune looked at the jar, and then at Ringo's still body. He was very vulnerable to anything in the area. Hitting him with the jar would be a breeze.

 _'I-I can't keep living like this. I can't hurt my friend.'_ Jaune made a decision. He wasn't going to allow himself to willingly to Ringo I danger. He was there to protect him at times so he was going to do the same.

"No." Jaune spoke, his words coming out with full effect.

"What did you say!?" Cardin dared Jaune to refuse again.

"I said no!" Before Jaune had the chance to throw the jar at him, Cardin punched Jaune's stomach. The jar landed on the ground along with Jaune. He kicked Jaune several times, pinning him to the ground and punched his face.

"You listen here. No one denies us! I don't know what came over you but you better cut that shit out right now! I'm getting my revenge whether you're in it out!" Cardin did his own dirty work. He grabbed the jar of sap and chucked it far in the sky.

It landed on Ringo's face with precision. The glass shattered on impact, coating his face with red sap. Jaune was certain that he wasn't awake. The direct hit to the face must've knocked him out. He didn't react at all. He just kept laying there, unmoving.

Russell and Sky forced Jaune up and held him there. Jaune had no chance of escaping. Cardin punched him in the cheek for extra measure. Jaune's body glowed briefly when Cardin's fist inched closer. When he did punch him, Jaune's black eye disappeared.

Cardin dropped Jaune's body and clutched his fist in pain. Jaune grinned, not noticing what occurred other than his body glowing. That didn't last very long. Sky Lark kicked him from behind while Cardin recovered.

Cardin stomped on his chest, this time not receiving any pain. He lifted Jaune up by his collar. "You're not going to back out again. If you do, you'll earn yourself a trip to the infirmary." He threw the box of wasps in Jaune's grasp, almost making him tumble. "You're going to dump these wasps near that freak. We'll be right behind you so you don't chicken out." Team CRDL surrounded Jaune.

With the added reinforcements, Jaune was forced down the hill. He was walking, holding the buzzing box in his arms.

 _'There's no way out of this. I should've called for help while I was up there.'_

Nearing Ringo's body, Jaune and Team CRDL stopped behind a tree.

"Alright. Open the box and let's bounce." Cardin and his team got ready to make a beeline out of there. They had no intention of being in the same area as Rapier Wasps.

Suddenly, a loud roar came from the horde of trees. It wasn't the same kind of roar as before. An Ursa Major sprang from the trees, eyeing Ringo's face full of sap.

"Oh shit!" Cardin lost his cool demeanor. Team CRDL fled from the area, leaving Jaune by himself. They didn't want to mess with a creature the big and dangerous.

The Ursa Major leapt on Ringo's body, slashing right away. Jaune stood there, frozen. He was intimidated by the Grimm sure, but his friend was under attack and he wasn't fighting back.

A bright white light discharged from Ringo's body, indicating that his aura had been shattered.

"No!" Jaune charged at the Ursa Major, blocking off its next attack with his shield. He struggled to keep keep his balance. The Ursa Major was putting up a fight.

A newfound sense of courage inflamed Jaune's mind. He swung with his sword, knocking the Ursa Major back some. The Ursa Major clawed at Jaune, who managed to roll left in time. It attacked again, but Jaune jumped up to avoid its claw.

The Ursa Major went for a third attack. Jaune was in the midst of landing, thus preventing him from blocking. The hit sent him back farther. Jaune didn't give up. He sprinted forward, trying to hit the creature again. The Ursa Major was smart, hitting Jaune's unprotected side.

Jaune felt exhausted after that last attack. He forced himself up, checking his scroll. His aura meter was at red. If he was reckless again, his aura could be shattered too.

The Ursa Major went after Ringo again. It grabbed his body with its mouth and chucked him against a tree. Its teeth grinded on Ringo's body, with the intent to kill.

"Ringo!" Jaune darted toward the Beast, only to get hit with Ringo's body. The Ursa Major threw Ringo's body high up in the air. It grew tired of Ringo. It found new joy in attacking Jaune.

Jaune saw the charging Ursa Major and braced himself. His shield was caught between a tree. There was no way to block it.

 _'This is it… dying because I wasn't strong enough.'_

"Jaune!" Pyrrha used her semblance to levitate Jaune's shield and sword to him. Jaune caught it and managed to block its strike. He quickly went in and sliced the head off the Ursa Major, killing it instantly.

Jaune collapsed, feeling the surge of adrenaline begin to die down. Ringo's body finally decided to come down, landing right on top of Jaune. "Ugh!" Jaune pushed his body off of him. He looked at his own hands, gasping at the amount of blood on them. "R-ringo!?" He hurriedly sat up and check on his condition.

"Get off him!" Weiss came rushing in and pulled Jaune away. "Ringo!? If you can hear me, say something!"

The sound of silence answered her. Weiss angrily turned to Jaune, tears in her eyes.

"What did you do!?"

Jaune raised his hands up in defense. "It wasn't me! It was Cardin!"

"Liar!" Weiss didn't believe him. She blamed Jaune for whatever happened to Ringo. Her eyes examined his bleeding stomach. They needed something to stop the blood loss.

"What happened!?" Ruby came into the fray. The first thing she saw was the beaten Ringo laying on the ground.

"Is Professor Goodwitch coming!?" Weiss asked frantically. Ruby nodded, disturbed by the sight of Ringo's condition.

"This is my fault. I couldn't protect him in time," Jaune choked out. The guilt got to him. He wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for Pyrrha saving his butt. Because of his lacking skills, Ringo could very well die.

"This is not your fault, Jaune. You did your best," Pyrrha reassured him. She knew it wasn't intentionally Jaune's fault. Weiss didn't see the whole thing. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for Cardin. She noticed the red sap still on his face. It was mixed in with blood, making it hard to tell the difference.

"I should've taken your help. Pyrrha, I'm sorry!" Jaune apologized, bowing his head in shame. It was better to get it out now. His denial of Cardin bullying him was what started this.

"It's fine, Jaune. At least you came to your senses. Though, I don't agree with the timing."

Just then, Professor Goodwitch, Yang, and Blake arrived. Yang and Blake's eyes widened, while Goodwitch wasn't fazed at all.

"Professor! We have to get back to Beacon! We need medical help. ASAP!" Weiss cried out. Her heart clenched even tighter when Goodwitch shook her head.

"There's no need, Miss Schnee." Her cold response shocked everyone.

"What do you mean!? He can die!" Yang exclaimed furiously.

"Please! We have to get him to a hospital!" Weiss begged, more tears leaking from her eyes. If Ringo were to die…

"She's right," Blake said, enraging her teammates.

"Not you too!" Ruby shouted, flabbergasted.

Blake explained, "His heart is made up of blood and electricity. Since he isn't losing puddles of blood, we just need electricity." Professor Goodwitch nodded, confirming her words.

"How do you-" Weiss started but was cut off by Blake.

"No time! We got the bandages just in case. Anyone know how to apply it?"

Pyrrha raised her hand. "I learned a thing or two." Blake handed her the bandages. Pyrrha got straight to work.

"Hand me his weapon while you're there." Blake caught the weapon that Pyrrha threw without blinking. She tapped on the hilt. As she expected, a crackle of electricity escaped the staff.

"Done!" Pyrrha finished up wrapping the bandages around the spots where the Ursa Major's teeth sunk in his skin. Weiss was beside her, staring at Ringo anxiously.

Blake stepped forward with Vinny in her hands. She casually went in to hit Ringo in the chest with it brutally. Weiss stopped her mid-way.

"Wait! Are you sure this is safe?" Weiss wasn't on board with the plan. It could cause more injuries if done incorrectly.

"Yes. Your boyfriend will be alright if you let me do this." Weiss hesitated, nonetheless moved out of the way so Blake could do her thing.

Blake noticed a trigger on the side. "What does this thing do?" She pushed it, sending a burst of electricity at Ringo by mistake.

"Uwah!" Ringo jolted up. A yawn escaped his mouth. He stretched his arms and rubbed his bandaged back. It was then that he became aware that people were gawking at him. "What?"

"You were asleep… the entire time!?" Jaune yelled, not believing what he was seeing.

"Um… of course I was. This field trip is stupid…" He gazed over at the professor. "...stupidly awesome! I just got so overwhelmed with-"

"You have no jar of sap? Automatic fail." Glynda walked away, not concerned with the situation anymore.

"Not to be rude, but why'd you wake me up? Hehe… I was dreaming about how hot Weiss… erm… forget what I said." Due to being awakened by force, Ringo's head wasn't thinking clearly.

He saw the tears still lingering in Weiss' eyes. "Did I miss something or…?"

"Y-you dolt!" Weiss seethed. "We thought you were going to die from all that blood loss!"

"Die?" He observed the others, each having the same questionable expression. "That's preposterous!"

Weiss had a tick mark appear on her forehead. "You were bleeding, Ringo! There's blood under you!"

Ringo looked around and indeed did see the blood on the ground. "Silly Weiss. I can't die from losing a blood." He continued after seeing the her blank face, "I'll be extremely weakened yes, but electricity mainly keeps me alive. If what you're saying is true then someone must've given me the right amount of electricity. Too much and my heart would have exploded. Good thing whoever did it was smart enough to calculate this."

Blake whistled, kicking the staff far away from her. Weiss very well could have exploded at any moment.

"Last thing I remember was Jaune and I meeting at some random part of the forest. Hey! Wait a sec! You just let me go off on my own? Alone. In the woods?" Ringo said, irritated.

"You made that Beringal kill itself! What else was I supposed to say!?" Jaune countered.

Ringo blinked. "Oh yeah~ I did do that." Jaune face faulted.

"You aren't making all of this up, are you?" Pyrrha questioned waringly.

"I still don't know what even happened." Ringo tried to stand up but ended up falling back on the ground. He felt a stinging pain coming from his midsection and back. "Eh? Why can't I-"

"You almost died!" Everyone cried out in unison.

"Geez. Lay off on me." Ringo cringed. "I got to go do that mission quick."

Weiss hurled a jar full of sap at his leg. He groaned in pain.

"Ow! Just for that, there's no cuddles tonight!" Ringo grabbed the jar and held it close to his chest.

"You shouldn't even dare move today. You need to let those wounds heal!" Weiss ignored his _'no cuddles'_ claim, mostly so she didn't cause more suspicion between them then there already is.

"B-but-" Ringo wasn't glad with the plan to have him rest all day. It would be quite boring to just lay there all day.

"No buts! Jaune, make yourself useful and help him walk!" Like a servant, Jaune easily followed her order with no complaints.

"Yes, Snow Angel!" Jaune grinned, having gotten away with calling her by her nickname. He crouched down and helped Ringo to his feet. Jaune draped Ringo's arm around his shoulder and put his own arm around Ringo's waist.

"That was _very_ anticlimactic," Yang said, scratching her cheek.

"Yeah! It wouldn't have been like that if we had known that about Ringo. This is exactly why we need another team bonding meeting." Ruby hoped the next team bonding meeting would be a success like the last one.

"I declare a team meeting tonight!" She announced, much to the ire of her teammates.

"Ruby, we're just going to argue and get jealous of each other again." Yang's last comment earned her the stink eye from Weiss.

 _'And I get to miss it!'_ Ringo grinned weakly. It wasn't like he hated spending time with his team, but after this he wanted to reflect on what happened.

"No we're not! We won't be doing board games. We'll mix it up a bit," Ruby assured her sister.

"Hey! Since you're doing team exercises, maybe Jaune should do something like that too!" Ringo got his revenge from earlier. Had Jaune actually went after him, he wouldn't even be in this mess.

"Huh?!"

"He's got a point." Pyrrha eyed her leader with uncertainty. "You've been distant for weeks. It's time you sit down with your team."

"Aw man," Jaune sighed in defeat.

"Sorry, little red but I can't make it on account of my injuries. Ugh, I feel like I could pass out at any second!" Ringo nearly toppled over, Jaune's grip preventing him from doing so.

"That's okay."

 _'Score!'_

"We'll just come to you!" Ruby beamed. Ringo shared Jaune's level of disappointment. "It won't be that bad. I promise!"

"Whatever. Just take me away already," He grumbled. Together, Ringo and Jaune headed back to the main area.

An awkward silence fell on them. Jaune had no idea what to say. He thought he had gotten someone killed because of his carelessness. He was real lucky that Ringo wasn't seriously hurt. The guy slept through the whole damn thing!

 _'How was he still asleep even after that Ursa Major tried to eat him!?'_ It was one of the many mysteries surrounding Ringo. Jaune was almost positive that at least someone in his team knew why.

His mind went back to before the fight. Team CRDL all ran like cowards. Cardin was a coward. After all that bragging, he just ran instead of fighting the Ursa Major. The whole situation made Jaune less worried about Cardin.

"Hey, Ringo? I got to confess." Jaune exhaled shakily. It was now or never. "Cardin blackmailed me into doing his bidding. He was the one who tried to force me to throw the jar of sap on you. I realized that I couldn't listen to him forever. I hope you can forgive me for acting like such an idiot."

Jaune's face heated up. Now that he was telling the truth out loud, it made him seem like a complete doofus. He should've just came out with it in the first place.

"You are an idiot." Jaune gasped, offended. "What? You want me to lie? You haven't won a single duel nor have you been doing so hot in class." Ringo had one question left. "What did he blackmail you with? Nude pictures? Email leaks? Offensive things you've done in the past?"

"No! No! Nothing like that!" Jaune shot down his guesses. "I faked my transcripts. I didn't go to combat school. I didn't pass any tests either. I don't belong here."

Ringo took a minute to take all of that in. "Eh? Is that it?"

"I-is that it!?" Jaune sputtered.

"That's not bad. I didn't go to any combat schools. I can't do tests to save my life. No transcripts from this guy either," Ringo replied coolly.

Jaune was in utter shock. There was someone like him. "B-but how did you get in?"

"Ozpin found me and saw something in me I guess. I really only came because I needed protection. I had no interest in being a huntsman," He admitted. He only became interested when his former teammates explained their reasonings and the perks that came along with it.

"Chin up. You have the capability to become just as good as a huntsman if you put in the effort. I'm planning on doing so this year and so should you."

Ringo's word lightened up Jaune's feelings. He wasn't qualified to be here just like him. But Ringo had the skills of a true huntsman and it showed.

"This is a lot to ask of you but do you mind helping improve my skills?" Jaune requested.

"Can't. Wielding a sword and a staff are two different weapons. It may be kind of the same but if I was given a sword, I wouldn't know what to do with it." Ringo leaned his head on Jaune's shoulder. "If it's lessons to make you less insane then I'm your guy."

"No thanks. I'm still sane," Jaune chuckled awkwardly.

"Pyrrha can teach you. I'm sure that smart girl knows all sorts of techniques."

"I may just listen to you on this one." The two arrived at the main area where the Bullhead was.

"Jauney boy!" Cardin saw them come and strolled by. "Looks like everything went according to plan. That freak was taught a lesson and-"

Jaune punched Cardin in the face. The jaws of Ren, Nora, Russel, Dove, and Sky dropped at the rare act of bravery from the leader of Team JNPR.

Cardin recoiled. He stood his ground, a darkening bruise on his cheek. "Why you little-"

Ringo's head snapped up. His eyes darkened, putting Cardin in a trance. The leader of Team CRDL walked back to his teammates without another word.

Jaune was extremely relieved that he wasn't on Ringo's bad side.

"What did you do?" Jaune asked.

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything." To Jaune's surprise, Ringo didn't sound like he was lying. "I'm getting restless. Let's get going."

The two were then stopped by Professor Goodwitch.

"Mr. Yin. I know for a fact that you couldn't have possibly finished your mission that fast." Goodwitch shook her head in disapproval.

"You don't know that for sure. You got no evidence." Ringo hugged the jar.

"Just get in the Bullhead. I've had enough of your nonsense for today."

"Will do!" Ringo and Jaune boarded the Bullhead first. Jaune placed Ringo at the spot where he was earlier before taking a seat by Ren and Nora. They were rather pleased that Jaune returned to them.

Team CRDL sat far from the two teams. They didn't want anything to do with them anymore today.

Pyrrha, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake were the last ones to enter the ship. Pyrrha sat next to Jaune, smiling widely. Ruby tried to make her way back to her spot next to Ringo. Weiss stole her seat. She hugged Ringo's left arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I thought you were against doing stuff like this in public." Ringo brought up, remembering her reaction to when Blake had caught them yesterday.

"Shut up. I thought you almost died. Let me have this," Weiss answered tiredly. Ringo leaned his head against hers.

"I can get used to this, Weiss."

"Don't. It's just for today." Ringo and Weiss stayed in each other's company, relaxing after the exhilarating field trip.

Ruby pouted. She sat at the far end of the row, rethinking her own personal issues. Yang understood why she was acting like this and grinned.

"Hang in there Rubes!" Yang offered her support, sitting by her sister. Blake chose to sit on the other side of Ringo, though not as close as Weiss. She kept to herself, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

* * *

When they got back to Beacon, Yang and Blake assisted Ringo to the infirmary. Ruby and Weiss tagged along too. Team JNPR wished Ringo a speedy recovery before they left.

Ringo was properly examined by a trained professional. The nurse was stunned that a person could sleep over something so life threatening. She recommended that he take it easy. Since his aura was shattered, it'd be a while until it could regenerate.

"Before I leave, I noticed that there's… something going on with your heart." The nurse scratched her head, looking at the medical photos.

"Ah that." Ringo kept in mind that this was a different nurse than from last year. "It's just a glitch in the system. I mean, a heart's a heart, am I right?"

Ringo sweated nervously as the nurse eyed him suspiciously. Nevertheless, she left the room without another question.

"Phew." Ringo covered his whole body under the hospital blanket, wishing to get some rest. Unfortunately, his team had other ideas.

"Surprise!" Ruby lifted the covers off of him and blew her whistle. Ringo's eardrums suffered from this. "It's time for another team bonding exercise!"

Ringo groaned, "But I wanna sleep!"

"You've already done enough sleeping, doctor. You slept when you were getting mauled and during both trips on the Bullhead," Weiss reminded him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Not to mention you got the whole weekend in to sleep in," Blake added in.

"Fine! What do you want us to do today?" Ringo sat up, annoyed.

"We're going to learn more about each other. First, each of us has to list three things we like, and three things we dislike." Her silver eyes flashed to Ringo first. "You go first!"

"Of course I'm going first…" Ringo muttered under his breath. "Sure. I like hooks." His first answer rose some eyebrows. "I like electricity. And I like… Weiss!"

"Wh-what!?" Weiss turned red as Ringo gave her a quick hug.

 _'Totally not like I couldn't think of anything else. I don't feel like talking about Coco. She would've been my last choice~'_

"I-idiot! Don't say things like that!" Weiss pushed him off, Ringo laughing childishly.

You're no fun." Weiss hid her reddening face. "Anyway, I don't like bright lights. I get blinded easily. I don't like generators either. They're such a pain to deal with. And I despise the Schnee Dust Company."

That brought a smile to Blake's face and a scowl to the heiress'.

"Hey!"

"Don't take it too personally. When you're in charge, I promise I'll only hate you just a little less than the company itself." He patted her shoulder soothingly.

 _'Wait. Ringo's going to hate me?'_ The thought alone scared Weiss. He didn't sound like he was teasing her either. Being heiress meant that she was going to lose her friendship with Ringo after their four years is up.

 _'Now I can impress Ringo!'_ Ruby raised her hand up high.

"My turn!" Ruby said excitingly. "I like hooks too!"

Yang was doubtful of her answer. "You do?"

"Yep! I got this portrait of one right here!" Ruby held a portrait of her interpretation of a hook in her hands.

"That's an anchor, Ruby," Ringo deadpanned. "This is a hook." Ringo held his own picture in front of him. It was of a large structure that was connected by a vertical beam with a diagonal beam on top of it. There was blood on the beams and many medical gear and machinery like a heart monitor, a blood bag, and cables used as decoration. The sharp bloodied hook was hanging below the edge of the diagonal beam.

"...that's nice…" Blake spoke, apprehensive of the way Ringo was staring at the picture.

"I know, right?! I took the picture back when I went to Léry's Memorial Institute to get checked up on. What I'd give to visit that place again." Ringo smiled evilly, imagining himself using that hook for more… malicious acts.

"You went to a medical institute?" Yang asked.

"No duh! Haven't you noticed that I'm kookoo in the head?" He hit his head as if he was knocking on a door.

"I just assumed you were faking it."

"You don't fake something like that, Yang." Ringo face palmed. "Okay, so Ruby was obviously lying and she might do it again, so let's move on to someone more honest. Blake?"

"Sure." Blake went next, despite Ruby small promises to be more honest. "I like reading, the night, and being alone."

Her answers were followed up with a few awkward coughs. Blake shifted uneasily from the stares that she was receiving.

"Okay… I thought we were supposed to know _'new'_ things about each other," Ringo said awkwardly.

"I never shared that information with anyone," Blake defended herself.

"We already knew even without you mentioning it. Pick things that aren't weird." Ringo picked the wrong choice of words. It wasn't wise to argue with Blake.

"What's weird about reading? You're the weird one who likes actual hooks," She fired back hotly.

"What's wrong with that?!"

"It's strange and it's creepy."

Ringo placed a hang over his heart, offended. "Why I never! You're the weird one! You steal everyone's lunches whenever it's tuna fish sandwich day!"

"You like electricity!"

"You have a yarn collection under your bed!"

"Lunatic!"

"Fish breath!"

"Um, guys." Ruby's voice went unheard by the arguing teammates.

"Nurse! Oh nurse! I got some people bothering me!" Ringo pressed the button repeatedly near the hospital bed.

The nurse kicked the door opened. "Who's bothering one of my patients!?"

"Those three!" Ringo pointed at Ruby, Yang, and Blake. "Snow Angel can stay! I want those three out!"

"B-but our team-"

"I hate team bonding meetings! They always lead to fights! If you wanted to know something about me then just ask!"

Ruby's eyes turned into squiggles. Her jaw dropped. "I just had to… ask?"

"Yes! Now get them all out of my room!" Ringo and Blake had an intense stare down. Blake ultimately won, literally hissing with cat fangs replacing her teeth. "Ah!" He whimpered, similarly like a dog.

"Out! Out!" The nurse grabbed a broom and shoved them out with it.

"Don't forget about our date~" Yang said before they were all kicked out and the door slammed shut. Weiss and Ringo were the only ones left in the room.

"Finally." Ringo curled up on the bed and was swaddled in the blanket like a newborn. "You can stay if you want. I didn't tell the nurse to kick you out because I have no issues with you."

"But you're going to hate me in the future." Weiss hugged her arm, not forgetting about the earlier remark.

"Relax. If you're not as cruel as your father, then I'm certain the company will be in good hands. Until then, that remains to be seen." He didn't expect Weiss to take his words in so seriously. She had to know the main reason as to why a percentage of people disapproved of the Schnee Dust Company. That revolved around a certain species.

"Will we still be friends by then?"

"Like I said. Just don't be like your dad. Right now, you have nothing to fret about," Ringo dismissed her worries.

Weiss' heart speed reverted back to normal. She sighed, relieved that she wasn't on his bad side… yet. Seeing him in bed garnered her the urge to join him.

"Move over some!" Weiss forced her way on the bed, pushing Ringo in order to make room for herself.

"Just get in here already!" Wanting to sleep, Ringo smothered her inside the blanket. Only Ringo and Weiss' faces were poking out of the blanket.

Ringo enjoyed the warmth radiating from the blanket and Weiss. He smelled the air, getting a trace of Weiss' strong perfume. It was alright. He liked the scent. It fitted her. She was beginning to bring out a different side of Ringo.

 _'I'm sorry, Coco… I hope you'll find the right boyfriend that you deserve.'_

In a rare instance, he had a sudden desire to do something. From behind her, he wrapped his arms around Weiss' stomach. She didn't think too much of it, believing that he just wanted to sleep like this again.

Her heart momentarily stopped when she felt two hand on her breasts. Her breath hitched sharply. She didn't have time to process what was going on. The hands now had a firm grasp on her breasts.

Weiss released a couple of small moans, feeling Ringo play with her breasts. Her breathing grew heavy. This was a complete invasion of her privacy, yet she didn't stop him.

Ringo threw the blanket off of them and pinned Weiss. He wasted little time in going for her neck. He roughly kissed her neck and fondled with her small breasts.

" _Ringo~_ " Weiss let out a throaty moan. The pleasure she was receiving was too much to bear. She continued to moan loudly, almost gaining several hickeys on her delicate soft skin. She had never felt something like this before. Her body shuddered profusely when Ringo's fingers slid across her hardening nipples.

His hands went under her shirt and sneaked their way under her bra. Weiss gasped, now feeling her partner fondle her without her clothes in the way.

Weiss panties were quickly dampening. Her lust filled eyes stared at the ceiling, allowing Ringo to keep toying with her. She groaned needily when Ringo took his lips off her neck. It was soon replaced with a delighted moan when his lips smashed into hers.

 _'M-my first kiss!'_ Weiss' mind went into overdrive. Everything was happening so fast, but she didn't care. She returned Ringo's affections gladly. Her heart was thumping madly, like as if it was going to escape. Her stomach was filled with many butterflies, fluttering.

Her legs wrapped around his back, arms tightly pulling him as close as he could get. Weiss felt his tongue fighting to push through her lips. She opened her mouth for a split second, which was all the time it took for Ringo's tongue to barge in. Weiss' eyes rolled to the back of her head, losing the test of strength between her tongue and his. His tongue dominated hers, exploring every aspect of her mouth.

Ringo pulled apart from the kiss. A thick trail of saliva was connected between his and Weiss' lips. He pushed his forehead against hers, the two panting heavily, gasping for air. Their lovestruck eyes stared deep in each other.

Weiss couldn't believe it. She was so sure that Ringo would end sticking to Coco. He was very attached to her after the deaths of his teammates. Weiss thought it'd be impossible for him to let go of Coco.

She didn't know when it happened, but she slowly developed feelings for her partner. Each day they spent together increased it. Every compliment directed to her boosted her confidence. She slept more often next to him to get closer to him. She was jealous whenever he was with Ruby, fearing that they'd get a little too close. Now that didn't matter anymore. She knew exactly how she felt.

"I-I love you..." Weiss uttered those three impacting words. Ringo's eyes widened. Weiss dove in for another round of kissing until Ringo pulled his head back.

"R-ringo?" The strain in her voice was evident. She was afraid that she had done something wrong. Her eyes started to glisten lightly, dreading that this wasn't meant to be for him.

"Coco…" Ringo pulled out his scroll. He quickly typed something before putting it away. "There. I just broke up with her."

His decision made Weiss' heart soar. "W-wait! You shouldn't break up with someone over text-mmph!" She was cut off by Ringo pouncing on her small frame and kissing her roughly once more.

"I've been meaning to break up with her for a while," Ringo said in between their kissing. "She's on a mission so she won't bother us for a few days. She'd probably race over her and kick my ass if she were still at Beacon. I should've done this sooner if I knew you were this dirty."

"I-I'm not dir _ty~_ " Weiss' voice pitched higher as Ringo's fingers went underneath her combat skirt. His fingers ran across her wet panties.

"You're soaking wet down there. You're really enjoying this. I never would've taken the prim and proper heiress to secretly be so dirty in the head," Ringo whispered in her ear, making her shudder. "Guess you must've really loved me that much."

"O-of course I did, idiot! How long did it take to get it in your thick head!?" Weiss growled. Ringo didn't appreciate her tone very much. His fingers lightly pinched her wet clothes entrance. It was so hot down there, Ringo wouldn't be surprised if it got hotter. " _Ah~_ " Weiss moaned, clenching her fists together tight.

"Be nice Weiss."

"No! You damn idiot-ah!" Weiss had a clear idea of what he was doing. In all fairness, it turned her on even more than it should've.

"Do I need to punish you some more?"

"Stupid dolt! I-ah! I hate your stupidity!" Weiss' body went limp as Ringo rubbed her bare womanhood. His mouth nipped on her hardened left nipple. Weiss bit back her gasp.

"You're so _hot_." Ringo didn't care if her breasts were smaller than Coco's. He liked everything there was to Weiss. His teeth bit on her nipple, Weiss' moans grew louder. "We really shouldn't be doing this you know. You haven't even bought me dinner yet."

"Shut up…" Weiss could barely register words to come out of her mouth. She could feels something stir from within her clit. His continuous rubbing and breast fondling drew her over the edge.

Their fun was rudely interrupted when a knock came from the door.

"Ringo? I think I left something in there. Mind if I come on?" It was Ruby. Both Weiss and Ringo froze, unsure of what to do.

"Hide! Hide!" Weiss scrambled under the blankets. Ringo checked over himself. There was a large puddle of Weiss' juice all over his pants. "Shit!" He drifted the blanket over himself too. Weiss clung onto his body, not moving an inch.

"Come in!" Ruby came in, appearing somewhat sheepish.

"Did Weiss leave?" Ringo nodded, though Ruby spotted something wrong. "Why are her heels and jacket there?"

"That's a very good question." Ringo tried to come up with an excuse. "Well… maybe it's because she was in such a rush that she forget them." Ringo's fingers went back to attending her needy folds. Weiss pinched his arm, wanting him to stop.

"Huh. That doesn't sound like Weiss. Then again, she's been acting weird as of late." Ruby shrugged it off. "Anyway, I came back to get my book." She grabbed a book titled: Another Pun. She brought it to make her teammates laugh during the team meeting. She didn't get to do that though.

"Hey Ringo, remember when you said I could ask you anything?"

"Can we save it for tomorrow? It's been long day. I'm pretty busy with something right now." His digits inserted inside Weiss' folds. The action itself was enough for Weiss to bite down on his shirt and clench the bedsheets. She came hard, having experienced her first orgasm. She grunted, her body going limp beside Ringo's.

"That's fine! Will you be okay to come back to the dorm tonight?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah. I'll be there, little red." Ruby smiled, leaving the room with her book in her hands.

"Wait!" Ringo stopped her. "Lock the door for me please!" Ruby didn't question it. She locked the door and left. "You didn't have to come that much." He removed his hand from her combat squirt and blanket. There was a long strand of her juices on the tip of his fingers. It slowly slithered down his hand.

"She was right there! We could've been caught, imbecile!" Weiss snapped, though a huge blush adored her face.

"Makes it more exciting, no?" Ringo pecked her lips. "As much as I'd like to continue exploring our feelings, we should stop. We're moving way too fast. Hell, it took me two months to ask Coco out and then another month to get a smooch."

"It isn't nice to talk about an ex in front of some you just kissed." Weiss rolled her eyes. "You still have a date with Yang because of that stupid bet."

"Right. We'll see how it goes from there." Ringo got off the bed, examining the wet stains on his clothes and on the bed sheets. "You should go wash up. I gotta find a way to sneak these bed sheets and covers to the washer."

Weiss' face heated up considerably. It was her fluids that caused the mess. She looked down at her combat skirt, spotting the wet stain near the bottom.

"Just wrap your jacket around your waist to make it less suspicious." Ringo tied her jacket around her waist. "I think we should just do clothes shopping over the weekend. I can't wait for the clothes you ordered to arrive. I need to wash my uniform, the only type of clothing I own."

"That's probably for the best." Weiss shyly twiddled her fingers. "It can be a date if you want it to."

"We've already gone this far and I am single now." He kissed her forehead. "It might as well be a date… shit now I have two dates."

"You can dump Yang." Weiss suggested coldly.

"That's mean. I'll figure it out by then." Ringo hugged Weiss with one arm. "When we're done cleaning up, we can hang out. Just you and me."

"What if I don't want to!?" Weiss huffed, looking away. She paused, thinking about it. Weiss dove in, hugging him.

Ringo smiled, returning the hug happily.

* * *

Ringo and Weiss had luck on their side. They got away with it. Ringo had a close call with the nurse. There was a washing machine and dryer in the same building as the infirmary. Of course, Jaune just so happened to be there. He stated that Pyrrha made him go on wash duty as part of his punishment for neglecting the team.

Jaune saw the wet stains and questioned what it was with a huge grin on his face. Ringo thought he figured it out, but then remembered that it was Jaune. Jaune thought he peed the bed.

Ringo dug in the lost and found section and grabbed out some clean clothes while his uniform was being washed. It wasn't his favorite, but he had to deal with wearing a shirt with a colorful pegasus on it, and a pair of purple shorts. He was teased greatly by Jaune and some of the other guys there. Ringo told everyone about Jaune's bunny pajamas, silencing the blonde team leader.

He managed to quietly get away with putting back the bed sheets in the hospital bed.

Weiss fared better than Ringo. She got a few questionable stares by nearby students on her way to the dorm. Luckily, Yang and Ruby weren't in the dorm. Blake was, but Weiss knew she wouldn't bother finding out why she was like this.

She hurried in the bathroom, her mind drifting towards Ringo. She wasn't sure what she'd call them. They were going on a date, but so was Yang. Plus, Ringo broke up with Coco right out of the blue. She didn't agree with Ringo's decision to break up with her over text. Weiss wouldn't blame Coco if she was pissed out of her mind.

Weiss' thoughts circulated around Ringo while she was washing up. She thought about the things they did earlier. Needless to say, Weiss took a little more extra time to get cleaned up.

It was dinner time. Weiss and Ringo chose to eat in their dorm. Blake did too, mainly because she wanted to catch up on the reading she missed during the field trip. Yang and Ruby were nowhere to be seen, presumably eating dinner at the dining room late.

"Here~" Weiss and Ringo fed each other. They stared into each other's eyes lovingly. Blake did her best to ignore their actions. It got to the point where they forgot that she was even there.

"Hey Ringo, you never told me how you were able to survive that attack," Weiss said, gathering up the dinner leftovers and throwing it in the trash can.

"Can I be honest with you?" Ringo appeared nervous. "I don't really know either. I just said that thing about the blood to ease everyone's worries. It is true that I can survive with electricity as a replacement. I don't usually go that route because I'd rather keep the balance equal between my blood and electricity. That and it's bad for me and my sanity. If the electricity within me is weak or gone, then it's lights out for me. I can die from blood loss just like anyone else. It was actually pretty lucky that Vinny still had some power left within."

Ringo's face paled. "Shit. I would've died in my sleep…" The reality of the situation hit him. He had an idea as to why he never woke up during the attack. It was a scary thing to think about. Dying without even knowing it was going to happen, and not even being awake to even realize it.

Weiss leaned in and kissed his cheek. "But you didn't. I don't know how you did it, but I'm glad that you survived." Ringo blushed. He went in for a kiss, instead earning a slap from the heiress.

"You idiot! If you told the truth, we would've taken the situation more seriously!" She tackled him on his bed and gave him the kiss that she cut off. "You're full of many mysterious..."

"Do you like a man of mystery?"

"Maybe…" Weiss giggled. Ringo never heard her giggle before. He found it cute. He realized how much Weiss was invested in the relationship. Being with him made her happy. Ringo hadn't recognized this emotion from Coco in the past couple of months. She rarely ever broke her tough girl facade.

 _'I think I did do the right choice. Maybe this is best for the both of us.'_ Ringo and Weiss messed around, laughing.

Blake couldn't help but smile at their behavior. Even if it was Weiss Schnee, it was pleasing to see them both happy. Especially Ringo. He hadn't had the best past couple of days lately. She decided to forgive his earlier insults out of the kindness of her heart.

"Get a room, you two," Blake chuckled. The two froze, discovering that she was in fact there the whole time.

"Blake!? When did you get here!?" Weiss shrieked.

Blake blinked. "I've literally been here the entire time."

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Ringo asked, nervous of what Yang would say. He felt guilty now that he thought about it. It would be a big slap in her face. That guilt lessened when he determined that he didn't really hold any feelings for the blonde.

"What's with you two and keeping things a secret?" Blake sighed, shaking her head. "I won't tell anyone but you better figure out a way to explain to Yang about this."

"You're the best!" Ringo pounced on the hesitant Weiss and captured her lips once more. Weiss tried to push him off her, not liking the idea of kissing with Blake there. That and she didn't fully trust Blake. She eventually gave up and kissed back fiercely.

 _'They're really going at it.'_ Blake was dumbfounded by the amount of passion the two held for each other. She never would've expected them to be so intimate. Weiss was more of the strict kind of person while Ringo had his mental problems to worry about. She wondered if he was like this with his previous girlfriend.

 _'Th-this is just like in my book…'_ Blake's hands quickly flipped back several pages. She read over the lines and glanced back at the kissing partner. Her cheeks reddened, imagining the two like the characters in her book.

"Someone's coming!" Ringo heard footsteps and pulled away. He stood by Silver Junior's cage, innocently feeding him and pretending that he was doing that the whole time. Weiss laid on his bed, panting heavily with a deep blush present on her face.

"We're back!" Yang and Ruby entered the dorm. Yang slapped the hamster food out of Ringo's hand, annoying him and Silver Jr. "Glad you're up and about, Ring boy!"

"Yeah! We're happy that you're okay!" Ruby hugged his bandaged stomach. Ringo winced a bit, feeling the pain start to kick in.

"What's with you, Weiss? Cat got your tongue?" Weiss replied with a happy sigh, ignoring Yang's question. "Whatever. Ring boy, let me show you the places that I'm interested in for our date." Yang fished out her scroll, leading Ringo to one of the tables. Ruby pulled out her own scroll and played a game because she got bored. Weiss stayed on Ringo's bed, cuddling with his pillow and occasionally taking a whiff of it.

While this was happening, Blake tried to calm her racing heart. She couldn't get the identical scene from her book and Ringo and Weiss out of her head.

Later that night, Blake didn't dare to fall asleep. Yang and Ruby liked their sleep. They were usually the first ones to go to bed. Blake was a night owl, sometimes not even going to sleep at all.

This time, she had her back against the other set of bunk beds. Blake and Yang's bunk beds were to the right. She stared at the wall, hearing Ringo and Weiss go at it again. Thanks to her enhanced hearing, she could hear Weiss desperately try to hold back her moans and Ringo going to work with his lips.

" _Ringo~_ " Weiss moaned out softly. It was risky doing this at night. She did her best to be quiet as Ringo had her breast in his mouth.

Blake's hand slowly wandered down. She resisted the temptation, reminding herself that these were her teammates. Another quiet lustful moan from Weiss changed that. Her fingers slipped underneath her nightwear.

That night, Blake pleasured herself while listening in on Ringo and Weiss' love session.

* * *

 **S** **econd Author's Note: So Ringo and Weiss are officially interested in each other. And Blake is finding their kissing arousing because it was like a scene from her book. The thing with his heart is a main detail to remember in the future. There's some DBD references I put in Ringo's likes and dislikes in this that I found funny. So yeah, the Stray is next chapter and probably the date** **with Weiss. Depending on what y'all say Yang's will be before or after Blake and White. That said, stay tuned.**


	7. The Stray

**Very Long Author's Note: This chapter is a weird one. Probably the most bizarre one I've made. It's a combination of weird and drama cause let's face it, the episode itself was drama between Weiss and Blake. I toned out some parts overall though. I remember someone saying they wanted Penny in the harem, so this chapter mainly focuses in on her for the most part. I really thought about adding a lemon between Penny and Ringo, but I held off against it because it'd be too soon. You'll see the part I was considering to add a lemon when you get to it. I think I got her character down decently. Not perfect but decent enough for me.**

 **Yang's date will be next chapter. I may or may not stretch it out to two chapters, depending on if I want to make up a section on what Blake doesn't when she runs away. Then Black and White after that. Plus, I want to put in some action scene because this chapter doesn't have any. I like writing/typing about Ringo's semblance. Just to be clear about Ringo's views before you read this chapter, he hates the White Fang and anyone aligned with them, not Faunus' in general.** **Note I realized that The Stray actually happened on a Friday. That mistake is on me. I don't feel like rewriting everything last chapter so the episode begins on a Saturday instead. I say this for people who spot my error in advance.**

 **Lelouch-Strife: Yep. Ringo is a bit of a coward, especially towards Coco. Her not talking to him is part of the reason why he broke up with her over text, the other one mainly being because… well she's not even there. She's on a mission.**

 **Guest Q: Whoops. I gave you the wrong chapter, my bad. I'll save you the time and just say it. A 'male' professor died during the mission. I think you understand where I'm getting at and why Glynda does like him. I kinda still might do Emerald in the end. A genderbent Mercury? I've never worked with genderbent characters so that'll be in the maybe column. Ilia is another interesting choice. I can see her going in the harem. Sienna… well considering how when she became leader and all the White Fang members turned rogue, and the fact that Ringo suffered because of that alone… that's an unfortunate no at the moment. As for your last suggestion, Vernal, I don't know too much about her other than she's in the Brawen's tribe. I'll keep her in mind for now.**

 **Blaze1992: It was always going to be Weiss when I thought of it. Since she is his partner, it just made the most since to me. And yeah, he was asleep. If you can recall, he rarely gets sleep. When he does, that dude is out of it. Before it happened, the voices in his head were making him lose his mind. With those two added together, he's out of it.**

 **Razmire: Emerald is still under works on how she'll contribute to the plot. I very rarely read Pyrrha's death scene. I guess most fanfics I read save her too. There will be bad things that'll happen and I hope I can surprise everyone with it. There's not much to Ringo liking hooks. It's just a little reference I put from the character I got inspired by for the making of his semblance and some personality traits. It's just The Doctor from DBD, where the killer can hook survivors. Maybe I'll incorporate the hook thing some more, but that's probably won't happen.**

 **Thanks for the reviews. Even if it isn't much I appreciate it all the same. Keep them coming. I enjoy responding to those of you reviewing this. This is the first time I'm doing this in a fanfic and I found myself wondering why I haven't done this sooner. That said, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY… for the seventh time in the row.**

* * *

It was a bright sunny day in Vale. There were multiple streamers and decorations hung throughout the streets.

Team RRWBY were walking down the streets of Vale. It was originally supposed to be just Ringo and Weiss going on their shopping date, but somehow the others found out they were leaving and decided to tag along. That cut off their plans, which annoyed Weiss immensely.

That irritation was briefly lightened by the preparations for the Vytal Festival in Vale. It was always one of her goals to compete in the tournament. Everyone in her team was strong. Ruby's speed, Yang's strength, her intellect, Blake's evasiveness, and Ringo's relentlessness. Of course everyone had their weaknesses too, most notably Ringo.

His aura was cut in half. He only has had one real battle. Weiss was unsure if he could really pull it off during the tournament, but the stories of him being undefeated before his team died told her he can handle himself just fine.

Weiss was really looking forward to helping Ringo buy some new clothes. It was going to be _their_ time together, but Ruby, Yang, and Blake ruined it. It didn't really matter as much now, Weiss had another plan in the works.

There was a sign up above, reading: **WELCOME TO VALE!**

Weiss assumed it to be for the foreign people coming from the different kingdoms of Remnant.

Weiss stopped and raised her arms. "The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" She expressed her excitement for the preparations.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss." Ruby paused, frowning. "Well, it isn't the first time. That doesn't mean it doesn't weird me out."

Ruby thought about it, realizing that she did smile a lot when she was with her partner, Ringo.

"How could you not smile? A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There'll be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization is simply breathtaking." Not everyone shared her level of enthusiasm. They continued walking.

Yang crossed her arms. "You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring."

"Quiet you!" Weiss snapped. "Doctor, back me up!"

Ringo rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh, the Vytal Festival never really interested me that much." As expected, everyone gawked at him. "Don't get me wrong. It's a good thing. It just isn't my cup of tea, you know? I remember Silver talking about it last year. I think he would've liked to see this…" Weiss and Blake's eyes softened at his words. Ruby and Yang didn't know who Silver was, so they didn't understand.

"Remind me again why we're spending our Saturday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang moved on, hearing the fog horns nearby.

"Ugh, it smells like fish!" Ruby's face scrunched up, disgusted by the smell. She covered her nose with her hand.

"You two weren't even supposed to be here!" Weiss said bitterly. "If you have a problem, you can always head right back." Ruby and Yang raised their hands in defense, giggling with each other that they made the heiress mad.

"If you must know, I've heard students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by the ship today." She didn't miss the quiet gasp let out by Ringo. "What is it now?"

"V-vacuo, you say?" Ringo stuttered. Blake understood why he was getting jumpy since he was from Vacuo himself. "Oh no. There's gonna be a surplus of Faunas here then." Ruby and Yang gasped, surprised by his offensive words. Weiss nodded, knowing that he was right. Blake took offense by that and smacked the back of his head hard.

"I told you-"

"Woah! Woah!" Ringo backed up, holding the back of his head in pain. "I didn't mean that in a bad way! I'm just saying that I might run into… those kind of people." He chomped the air, giving her a message.

 _'Is he talking about the White Fang? He must be.'_ Blake calmed down, though she was still a little miffed by his comment.

"It isn't that bad. I've met a couple of nice Faunus here and there at Vacuo too." Ringo soothed her worries.

"You're from Vacuo?" Ruby asked curiously. It was another bit of information that she learned about her teammate.

"Yep. Spent thirteen years there before I moved to Vale. I hear that Vale is where most people could live a normal life. Let me say, the only place where the law is actually followed is at Shade Academy. Everywhere else is dangerous," He informed them. He visited Shade Academy one time with his then-backstabbing friend. That academy had to be the most civilized place he had ever been to.

"That sounds rough." Yang grinned, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and giving him a noogie. "Glad you're here with us, Ring boy."

"You have to tell us more stories later on!" Ruby said, intrigued by his background. Blake cringed, knowing that Ringo probably wouldn't be on board with sharing his run-ins with the White Fang.

"Maybe…" Ringo wiggled free from Yang's hold.

"Regardless of where they come from." Weiss brought their attention back to her. "As a representative of Beacon. I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

Blake saw right through her facade. "She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." It was a fine strategy, though Blake would prefer if she didn't do it right as they arrived.

"You can't prove that!" Weiss scoffed.

Ruby directed her eyes to a shop that had shattered windows and had yellow police tape surrounding the area.

The five walked to the scene of the crime. "What happened here?"

A detective was writing down something. "A robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." He went to chat with his teammate.

 _'I have a sneaky feeling on who is behind this. There's only one group that loves to steal dust.'_ Ringo noted in his head.

"You thinking the White Fang?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking we don't get paid enough." Ringo snickered, amused by their banter.

They proved his theory. Only the White Fang had interests in stealing high amounts of dust and leaving the money. Back when he was unofficially associated with them, the feud between the Schnee Dust Company and the White Fang was unruly. Stealing dust must have been their way to get them back.

"Hmph! The White Fang." Weiss crossed her arms and haughtily pointed her nose up in the air. "What an awful bunch of degenerates."

"What's your problem?" Blake bit back the hostility in her voice.

"My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane," Weiss said, unaware that she chose the wrong words.

"You don't care about me?" Ringo pouted. He classified himself as a criminal because he usually stole from shops when he started out in Vale. He also considered himself to be quite insane.

"You're an exception."

Blake didn't let Weiss off hook for her comment. "The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths." Ringo snorted, Blake's eyes glaring daggers at him. "They're a collection of misguided faunus."

"Sure, back when they were an activist group. I say they're just as insane as me now." Ringo spoke from his personal experiences. Weiss smiled, pleased to have Ringo on her side.

"They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!" Weiss added in, outnumbering Blake.

"So then they're _'very'_ misguided." Ringo chuckled dryly, though not understanding why Blake was defending the organization. It may have to do with her being a faunus , but Ringo doubted that she was with them.

"So I guess killing hundreds of humans makes them _'very'_ misguided? Good one Blake," Ringo said sarcastically. "They're nothing but faunus looking for trouble."

Weiss nodded. "Yeah, and that doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum." Blake grew angrier, offending by their words. "Those faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

"Finally, someone who sees the truth!" Ringo and Weiss high-fived, supporting each other during their argument with Blake.

"That's not necessarily true. I thought you of all people wouldn't be against faunus." Yang shook her head, disappointed in him.

"I'm not against faunus! I just don't like the Wh-"

"Stop that faunus!" A voice cried out, cutting off Ringo. The five quickly rushed to edge of the docks. There, they saw a monkey faunus running across the ship. He was being chased by two guys.

 _'Behind you!'_ The voice in Ringo's head shouted. Ringo snapped his head back, catching a glimpse of something hiding around the corner.

 _'They're here!'_

 _'Always watching!'_

Ringo gulped, a sense of dread building inside of him. He didn't notice that the monkey faunus was heading their way. He put one foot forward, preparing to check out whatever was watching him.

"Gah!" Ringo unintentionally got in the faunus' path, tripping him. The monkey faunus face planted to the ground, groaning. Ringo stepped over his body as he continued his trek to where the mysterious person hid.

He rounded around the corner, catching who the culprit was. It was a curly orange haired girl with bright green eyes. She wore a pink bow above her head. She had a tan colored blouse with overalls over it. There was a green and black collar on her neck.

 _'They're gone!'_

 _'You missed them again!'_

 _'Girl isn't what she seems!'_

Ringo scratched his head, approaching the unresponsive girl. She just stood there, staring at him. It creeped him out more than it should've. He felt the faunus and the detectives brush past him. That didn't matter to him. His eyes were solely on the orange haired girl.

Someone from behind bumped into him. Ringo fell forward, taking the newcomer down with him.

"No! He got away!" Weiss groaned. Due to Ringo's more sturdier build, she didn't fall. She was pushed back some.

"Uhh… Ring boy?" Yang coughed awkwardly.

Ringo opened his eyes, seeing that he was inches away from the girl's face. His body pinned her to the ground. The fright caused a small trickle of electricity to burst out of his chest. Since his body was touching hers, the electricity went within her. Her body shook excitingly.

"I don't recognize your model…" The girl mumbled, smiling brightly. Ringo nervously got up. "Salutations!" Her greeting was met with an awkward pause.

"Um… hello…" Ruby was the brave one, speaking with the odd girl.

"Are… are you okay?" Yang asked.

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking!" The orange haired girl closed her eyes, wanting to recreate the feeling of Ringo's electricity sparking within her.

"Do you… wanna get up?"

The girl thought about it. "Yes!" She leapt to her feet. Everyone distanced themselves further from the strange girl. "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Ruby introduced herself, "Hi Penny. I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

While Weiss and Blake followed her lead, Yang didn't get the memo. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Blake elbowed her side. "Oh, I'm Yang."

Ringo politely extended his hand, getting over his fear. "I-I'm Ringo…" Instead of shaking his hand, Penny hugged him.

"That feeling was absolutely marvelous! You must do it again!" Penny tilted her chin up, making eye contact with him.

"D-do what!?" Ringo was freaking out. He tried to escape but she was surprisingly strong. Her grip was like that of a snake.

"You let out electricity!" Penny squeezed him a bit tighter, hoping to spark some electricity from him.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Penny shook her head. "Geez, you really are strange…"

Weiss got annoyed at the looks Penny was giving to Ringo.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said, mainly towards Ringo.

"You already said that." Yang chuckled, getting a kick out of how uncomfortable Ringo appeared. It was then that she remembered that he was supposed to be _'her'_ date. "Hey! Paws of my date!" She attempted to pull Penny off. Like Ringo, she was shocked at how difficult the task was.

Ruby went in to help. She put her arms around Yang and pulled with her. Their attempts were futile.

"Just give her what she wants," Blake said, not seeing another way around it.

Ringo sighed. He closed his eyes and channeled his electricity from within his chest. A much larger spark of electricity left his body and went in Penny's.

"Woo!" Penny jumped, her orange hair standing up straight because of the electricity. She felt her circuits gain more power than usual.

"I'm sure Ringo's sorry for running into you. Let's go, doctor!" Out jealousy, Weiss possessively grabbed his arm, keeping him close to her. She glowered at the jittery Penny. With a huff, she turned around and began to walk away alongside her partner.

"Take care, friend." Ruby awkwardly waved her goodbye. It would be rude to not to. Her friendly nature prevented her from acting rude to new people.

Once they were far enough from Penny, Yang spoke. "She was… weird."

"Hmph! She should keep her hands to herself next time!" Weiss leaned her head on Ringo's arm. She glanced over at her right. "Now, where did that faunus riff-raff run off to?"

 _'I swear, if she downgrades us again…'_ Blake's fists tightened. She was fed up with Weiss' attitude towards faunus. She expected Ringo to be on her side, yet he chose Weiss' instead. Her mind momentarily forgot about the reason why Ringo was cautious of the White Fang.

"What did you just call me?" Penny's voice mystically came from in front of them. She stood in front of Weiss, appearing out of thin air.

Weiss was appalled. She looked back and forth, trying to comprehend how Penny even managed to sneak up on them when she was just right behind them.

Yang flinched, "Oh, I'm really sorry! I _definitely_ didn't think you heard me!" Her apology was weak. She was sorry that she was caught, not for her mean words.

"No, not you." Penny marched forward, leaning her body at a startled Ruby. "You!"

"Me?! I-I don't know. I… what, um… uh…" She was at a loss of words. Ruby thought it was Yang that was going to get in trouble.

"Quick! While she's distracted!" Ringo suddenly exclaimed. He bolted away from Ruby and Penny. Yang, Blake, and Weiss followed him, leaving their leader alone.

"Not so fast!" Ruby shouted. A mysterious force pulled them back. The four all fell on top of each other, Ringo being the unforgettable soul crushed on the bottom. He landed on his back, facing Weiss.

"This isn't as bad as I thought," He whispered, pecking Weiss on the lips. She blushed lightly at the intimates gesture.

"Ruby has secret powers!" Yang gasped, removing herself from the pile first. She saw her sister in a new light. Whatever she did made them come back in a snap.

"Nope! I just tied your feet to this lamppost!" Ruby chirped, indicating to the pieces of rope tied from the lamp, to her teammates legs. No one questioned how she did it, mostly out of fright.

"You called me friend! Am I really your friend?" Penny asked, getting back to the topic at hand.

Ruby blinked, "Umm…" She gazed back at her teammates, each one motioning her to reject Penny's friendship. "Y-yeah! Sure! Why not?"

Ringo, Weiss, Blake, and Yang fainted because of her response.

Penny laughed, "Sensational! We can paint our nails, and try on new clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Her eyes fell upon a frightened Ringo. "Do you think he can be my friend too?"

"Of course!"

"No!" Both Ruby and Ringo said at the same time. It was Ringo who took initiative. "My friend capacity is full so you can't be my friend!" His lame excuse convinced no one other than Penny.

"I wasn't aware you can have a limited amount of friends!" Penny gasped.

Ringo nodded frantically. "Uh-huh! It's true! Sucks to be you, I guess." He shrugged, doing his best to ignore Penny's devastated expression.

"Oh… I just wanted to make new friends…" Penny teared up. Ruby shot him a death glare.

"Ringo…"

"Fine! I'll be your friend then." Ringo grunted. He knew how persistent Ruby could be, especially if someone was being disrespectful. She'd be nagging to him about it if he didn't say yes.

"Amazing! Now I have two friends!" Penny squealed. "You can watch me fight in the tournament, _f_ _riends_ Even saying the word made her giddy.

"Wait, _you're_ fighting in the tournament?" Weiss didn't believe her. She thought the foreign students would look more brutish.

"I'm combat ready!" Penny saluted. She swooped in and hugged Ringo's leg. He groaned, now having to deal with her again.

"Why do you keep doing this!? Get off!" Ringo kicked his legs up and down repeatedly. Penny didn't budge, giggling as she was taken up and down too.

"You definitely don't look the part." Weiss observed her childlike personality. She was willing to bet Penny wouldn't even survive during the tournament with all of the bulkier and stronger people.

"Says the girl wearing a dress," Blake mused.

"It's a combat skirt!" Ruby rushed over and high-fived her fellow combat skirt companion. "Wait a minute… if you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed rapscallion?"

Penny cutely tilted her head sideways. "The who…?"

Weiss quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper and showed it to Penny. "The filthy faunus from the boat!" Her drawing had to have been worse than Ruby's Professor Poop one.

 _'That is it!'_ Blake was ready to go off on the heiress. She wasn't going to allow her to talk about faunus like that any longer.

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Blake said, irritated with Weiss' ignorant behavior.

Weiss merely glanced at her teammate. "Huh?" She sounded like she didn't cared all that much.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him degenerate! He's a person!"

"Oh I'm sorry…"

While the two were arguing, Penny let go of Ringo. Ruby and Yang shifted uncomfortably.

"Why is that girl angry with the other?" Penny asked him.

Ringo shrugged. "There's not much to say honestly. Weiss is a racist and Blake is trying to defend them."

"A racist?"

"You know, she hates the faunus race. Basically thinking you're better than another race. That's a racist." Ringo explained to the girl. It was weird that Penny was unaware of what it racist was. He didn't have time to think about it as Penny jumped up and landed on his shoulders.

Penny hugged his head. "Wow! You're pretty tall!"

"I'm not that tall…" Ringo's cheeks flushed, feeling two orbs resting above his head.

"You ignorant little brat!" Blake yelled. She turned around, in the midst of leaving.

"How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!" Weiss followed her, not backing down an inch.

Ringo grabbed a bag of popcorn from out of nowhere. He offered some to Yang and Ruby. They rejected it, both giving him a dirty glare as if saying, _'What the hell!? We got bigger things to deal with!'_

Penny didn't mind. She helped herself to some popcorn. Ringo grumbled when he felt some crumbs fall down his face, courtesy of Penny.

"Where are we going?" Penny questioned, mouth full of popcorn.

"So you admit it! The White Fang is just a radical group of terrorists!"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

Ringo grew tired of their arguing. He should've intervened in it, but he simply didn't care. The weekend was supposed to be two days of relaxation. He wasn't going to babysit his teammates.

"Let's go see a movie. I rather not spend my afternoon hearing those two argue." Ringo thought about telling Ruby and Yang if they'd like to join him, but remembered that someone had to keep an eye on them. Besides, he was already going to do go on a date with Yang tomorrow anyway.

"A movie with my new friend? Splendid!" With that, Ringo and Penny left without the others noticing their absence.

* * *

When Ringo and Penny made it to a movie theater, Ringo removed Penny from his shoulders and gave her a stern lecture.

"Listen here. Do not do anything weird. The people here are this close from putting me in the mental hospital. We're just going to see a movie and that's it, got it?"

Penny registering all of that in her head. "Got it!" She rushed over to the front to order the tickets. "I will like two tickets for my new friend and I, please!"

The man working there tiredly yawned. "Tickets for what?"

"Huh?"

"What are you paying to watch?" The man pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Pay?" Penny was promptly pushed away by Ringo.

"Ignore her. She has no idea what she's talking about," He chuckled. The man there recognize him in an instant.

"Oh. It's _you_." The man closed the blinds and put up the closed sign.

Ringo banged his fists on the window. He somewhat expected this. Last time he came here with Vinny, they trashed the whole place. Ringo himself went crazy and frightened multiple adults and children. Needless to say, he hadn't come back here since then.

"Allow me, Ringy!" Penny punched the window, glass shattering on impact. The man shrieked, avoiding the shards of glass flying at him. Penny giggled. "We will like tickets for that movie!" She pointed to a random movie poster that had a heart on it. It was titled: Android Love.

"What in the actual fuck…" Ringo wasn't up to date with movies. Judging by the poster itself, it was a romantic film. He came for an action packed movie.

"Th-that'll be ten dollars," The man squeaked, now afraid of Penny and her strength. Penny looked at Ringo expectantly.

"Right." Ringo had a wallet full of cash. Weiss lent him some dough for clothes while Yang gave him his money back. He didn't know how much his date with Yang would cost. Either way, he wasn't going to risk it. "I forgot my money, but you'll let us in, right?"

Ringo stood beside Penny, patting her head. The man cringed. He quickly gave them the tickets and cowardly crouched down.

"Yes!" Penny grabbed the tickets and ran inside the movie theater, Ringo in tow.

The line for Android Love was empty. People were at other lines for the movies that Ringo _would've_ liked to watch.

The ticket attendant there put out his hand. "Tickets please." Ringo and Penny gave them their tickets. "You don't look like you meet the age requirement." His eyes were on Penny specifically.

"Well I'm eighteen so…" Ringo took his words in seriously. "Wait. An age requirement?"

"This is _Android Love..._ " The ticket attendant deadpanned. He pointed at the movie poster. Ringo's pupils dilated when he saw the rating.

 _'NC-17!?'_ Ringo screamed in his head. 'What kind of movie did Penny pick!?'

"I assure you that I am, mister!" Penny insisted, wanting to see the movie badly. It had an android in it, which interested her the most out of the rest of the movies.

"Whatever." The attendant let them through. Ringo gulped, not knowing what to expect. Penny grabbed his hand and dragged him inside.

The first thing that he noticed was that there was no one inside. It was just the two of them. _Alone_. Penny forced him down one of the seats in the front row. She sat down at the seat next to him, jumping excitedly.

The lights dimmed and the movie started. Right off the back, Ringo knew he was in for a long ride. The opening clip started out with a woman being made from scratch. The movie didn't shy away from showing her more… _'interesting'_ body parts.

Penny's eyes widened. She watched how the woman was made curiously. She looked at her own body too, wondering if that's how she was made too.

The majority of the movie was cliche, in Ringo's opinion. The female android trie8s to fit in but she can't. She wants to be a normal person, yadda yadda. Once the male protagonist showed up, Ringo found out exactly why the rating was so high.

"You are a regular person to me! I don't care if you're an android!"

"Oh, you don't know how happy that makes me!" Ringo gagged at the cheesy lines. Penny on the other hand, was mesmerized by it. A few tears leaked from her eyes, happy that the female android found love.

That's when the android and the human kissed each other. Penny watched the scene intently. Ringo closed his eyes, desperately hoping that they wouldn't go beyond that.

"Ringy, what are they doing?" Penny asked, nudging his shoulder.

Now Ringo had a choice. Tell the truth to Penny or make up some half assed lie. It would shatter her innocence.

He decided to do both.

"They're kissing. It's what… it's what really close friends do," Ringo replied anxiously. If she didn't get the concept of kissing then there was no point of explaining what a boyfriend or girlfriend was.

"Kissing? Close friends?" Penny watched the android expressions. The female android seemed to enjoy this _'kissing'_ significantly. "Friends…"

"That's what I said." When Ringo looked at Penny again, she was staring at him oddly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"We're friends, aren't we?" She leaned in closer. Ringo got what she was getting at and quickly detached himself from his seat.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! You can't just try and kiss me!" Ringo shook his head rapidly. "Only boyfriend and girlfriends can do that!"

"You're my _boy_ friend though," Penny pointed out, a bit upset.

"Not that type of boy friend! A _boyfriend_ that you date! We aren't dating! We haven't even known each other for a day!"

"Date?" Penny paused for about ten seconds. "Isn't this a movie date?" It was true. It was just them alone at the movie theater.

"Well…" Ringo couldn't argue with that logic. He asked her if she wanted to go to the movies. "I guess but I meant it as friends!"

"Friends?"

"Yes! And as my friend, you'll understand that we should go see Planet of the Grimm instead of… that…" Ringo's whole face shined red when he looked back at the screen. The female android was doing… _'something'_ with her mouth.

Penny looked too and observed her actions carefully. She had no idea what was going on but the moans coming from the human indicated that he must've felt good.

"Is that what you what me to do? Looks strange but I'll do anything for my new friend's happiness!" Penny grinned, approaching him.

"No! That is not what I want you to do!" Ringo climbed up one of the chairs, avoiding Penny. "This movie is a bad influence on you! You don't even know what a blowjob is called! I have to get you out of here!" He ran out of the theater, Penny not too far behind.

"Wait, Ringy!" Penny called out to him.

"It's Ringo! What the hell type of name is Ringy!?" Ringo made it out of the building and was now running across the streets. Penny managed to keep up with him. She didn't even look the least bit exhausted.

"I heard friends have nicknames for each other! I like Ringy better!" Penny was nearing him closer and closer. "I got you friend!" She tackled him to the ground.

"No! Wait! I don't want to-mmph!" Ringo's words were put on hold as Penny sloppily smashed her lips against his. The kiss itself… had to be the worst ones that he had ever experienced. Not only was it out of his will, Penny didn't even know what she was doing.

Ringo pushed her off of him and wiped his lips. Penny eagerly pounced on him again.

"That was most enjoyable, new friend! I can see why the people from the movie liked it!" Penny twitched with enthusiasm. The electrifying first kiss feeling beat the feeling she got when Ringo electrocuted her. She wanted to do it again. To increase her friendship with Ringo. Perhaps it'd help her friendship with Ruby too. That movie taught her a lot of things about friendship.

"No! That had to be the worst kiss in my life!" Ringo said, shielding his lips with his hands.

"It was?" Penny deflated. She failed her task.

"Look," Ringo sighed. He picked himself up and took Penny's hand. He led her to an alleyway so no one could catch them. "Penny, we can be friends." Penny perked up. "But this has to stop. Friends do not kiss or do anything sexual to each other. Do I make myself clear?"

"Why not? It feels good!" Penny whined.

 _'What did that movie do to her?'_ Ringo sweatdropped. He should've just went by himself, maybe even have had Ruby tag along instead. At least she would've chosen an action packed movie.

"You don't kiss someone for the fun of it. Don't go kissing random strangers either! You'll probably end up in jail if you do."

"So I should only kiss you? Got it!"

"No! You don't understand-mmph!" Penny once again attacked his lips. Like before, it wasn't pretty. He wasn't even sure if she was even kissing him at this point.

Ringo shoved her. "If you're going to kiss me at least do it right! And no, you can't kiss me either! We're not dating!"

Penny pouted, "So being friends and dating are two different things?"

"Yes! Was that so hard to understand!?" Ringo almost shouted. Penny really was getting on his nerves.

"Can we date then, friend?" Penny asked, eyes filled with hope.

 _'Crap!'_ Ringo was positive that Penny didn't hold any feelings for him. They only just met! He didn't believe in love at first sight. Yet, he was against breaking her heart. That dreaded question was one he wasn't expecting. _'Great. Now three girls want to date me…'_ It could be seen as a good thing, but Ringo favored rest and relaxation more than the stress of handling his romantic lifestyle.

"Can't. I'm already with someone," Ringo replied, intentionally not revealing a name. As of right now, he wasn't officially with someone. If it weren't for Yang, he'd probably be with Weiss.

"Oh…" Penny frowned. Then an idea came to her. "You can date the two of us then! I don't mind sharing! Especially if we're friends!"

"Penny…" Ringo smacked his forehead against the wall. Penny sure knew how to get under his skin without trying. The reason that she even wanted to date him was for the kissing. That alone made him refuse her offer.

"Not only is that weird, but you don't truly like me so there's no point in asking."

"Polygamy isn't weird! It's uncommon nowadays but it was a huge hit in the past!" Penny trudged closer. "Why else do people kiss?"

Ringo was about done dealing with Penny. "Oh I don't know. Maybe it has to do with them being in love," He said sarcastically.

For the first time today, he saw Penny genuinely confused, as if it hurt her not to know. "Love? What's that?"

"You know, it's that feeling that you get in your chest when you care about someone a lot." Ringo spoke from the heart. He had this feeling whenever he was with Weiss and back when he was with Coco.

"A feeling?" Penny stood close to Ringo. She waited for something to happen but it didn't. "I don't feel anything in my chest."

"Aha! See? Once you get that feeling, come talk to me again." Ringo grinned, proud that he had finally gotten some sense knocked into Penny's thick skull. He would later regret the phrasing of his words to Penny.

"I see…" Penny understood it now. She wasn't disappointed about it though. Since Ringo was still her friend, everything was all good. Yet, she yearned to get that unusual but pleasant feeling again.

"Can't we kiss one more time? Please! I won't ask again!" Penny pleaded. Her innocent curiosity was what pegged her to even want this. She compared herself to the female android from the movie. They were both struggling to fit in. But when they met the human male, everything changed.

 _'Maybe I'll get my happy ending too with Ringy!'_

"No."

"Please!"

"No!"

"Pretty please!"

"Still no!"

"Pretty please with a microchip on top!"

"What? No no, and no!" Ringo kept denying her wishes. It bothered him to no end. After the twentieth please, he finally gave in. "Ugh! Alright, fine! But-" Ringo catched her in time before she leapt on him again. "But I'm going to have to teach you how to kiss. Whatever you did isn't kissing."

"Okay! Teach me Ringy!" Penny giggled, amped to learn the art of kissing.

Ringo grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. She smiled brightly, trusting him at the moment.

"First things first. You got to look into their eyes deeply." Penny's eyes squinted, almost making it seem like they were closed. "Not like that! I mean like in the loving way. Here." Ringo placed his hand on Penny's cheek and tilted her head up. He lowered his head so that their faces were closer.

Her bright green eyes met his dull blue eyes. Penny was smiling widely the whole time.

"Next. You got to tell them a compliment." Ringo used his other hand to pet Penny's orange hair. "Your green eyes are really pretty. It helps make you look even cuter."

 _'Eyes can be pretty?'_ Penny's eyes scanned Ringo's blue ones. She was slightly taken aback once she really looked at them.

"Thanks! Your eyes are pretty too!" Penny chirped.

 _'Geez. She piggybacked on my compliment.'_ Ringo rolled his eyes.

"Third step. You have to get really close." Ringo grabbed both of her hands and interlocked them with his. He pressed his forehead against his, still keeping eye contact with her.

Her smile faded. For some reason, a tiny pit feeling formed in her stomach.

"Final step, you kiss." Penny didn't initiate the kiss. She was frozen in place. Her eyes widened. Ringo frowned. "Fine. I'll do it."

The moment his lips touched hers, fireworks went off inside Penny's body. This was way different than their previous kisses. That feeling arose higher. To experiment with it, she let him take charge while she took notes.

Ringo was quite surprised that Penny was letting him do all the work. She was so eager to kiss him, he guessed that that urge went away. He noticed how cold Penny's lips felt. Cold like metal.

He was about to depart from the kiss but Penny wrapped her legs around his waist. With the assistance of the wall behind her, she scooted closer up so that her face could reach his height.

"Ringy! I felt it! I have this warm feeling in my chest!" Penny squealed. Ringo's eyes shrunk. "That means we can kiss forever!"

"That is not what I meant-mmph!" Penny kissed him mid-sentence for the third time that afternoon. Her passion grew stronger. Her arms wrapped around his neck to ensure maximum closeness.

Ringo was forced to spend his day kissing Penny in an alley.

* * *

Ringo returned to Beacon late evening. He was in a bad mood. He got a many stares from other students when they saw the kiss marks all over his face.

"Stupid Penny and her stupid kisses…" He grumbled. "We haven't even met for a stupid day!" Ringo was frustrated by the turn of events. His lips were a little swollen from the kissing. He reminded himself to never take anyone out to a movie ever again after that experience.

He didn't even get the chance to explain to Penny that he messed up on his word. She gave him a goodnight kiss and skipped away to who knows where. He hoped that he'd never see her again, even if he did find her cute.

 _'No! Stop thinking! I just need sleep!'_ Ringo entered the dormitory building and could hear Weiss and Blake arguing.

"Can this day get any worse!?"

Team JNPR was nearby. They poked their heads out of their dorm.

"Can you do all of us a favor and get them to stop? We're trying to sleep!" Jaune said tiredly. Everyone was too tired to notice the marks on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Leave it up to Ringo to do everything… again." Not in the mood to talk, he slammed their door shut. The sound of tumbling could be heard from Team JNPR's door. Ringo entered his own dorm, bracing himself.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!"

"That is the problem!" Ringo bailed last second but Weiss noticed him come in.

"Doctor, where have you been!? You worried me sick!" She ran up and hugged him.

"Please. No more hugging!" Ringo shuddered, his experience with Penny flooding back in. He pushed Weiss away.

Weiss' eyes were filled with hurt. "Why are you-"

"Don't ask, honey. I just want this day to be over." Not thinking clearly anymore, he hugged her with one arm kissed her forehead, then headed for the bathroom.

"Did my date just kiss you!?" Yang's voice echoed through the dorm. Their voices dimmed when Ringo turned on the sprinkler and showered.

Once he got out, he ignored everyone's stares and collapsed on his bed. Not even a second later, Blake and Weiss continued their arguing.

"You realize you are defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!" Weiss argued.

"What about Ringo? He was in the White Fang too!" Blake threw Ringo under the bus, exposing his secret without a second thought.

"Oh come on!" Ringo threw his arms up, exasperated. He looked over to Weiss, who backed away, frightened at the revelation.

"I-is that true?"

"Well yeah, I was technically with them in a way." Weiss distanced herself even further from Ringo. "But I'm not a faunus, I was like a helper back when they were… hey!" He caught her in the act. "You were totally going to ditch me if I was a faunus, weren't you!?"

Weiss didn't respond.

Blake finally had Ringo on her side. "See? You're discriminatory! There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you." She smirked, watching Ringo continue off where she left from.

"Blake's right. People like you are what force the White Fang to take drastic measures," Ringo stated harshly.

"People like me? Ringo, I thought you were on my side!" She exclaimed, hurt by his words.

"I hate the White Fang." Blake glared at him. "But that's because of how things are _now_. Back then, they were just an activist group wanting the same treatment as us. People like you, and the Schnee Dust Company is what ruined it. I know because I was there." Ringo lowered his head.

"I was there, since I was six. The White Fang took me in. I protested with them, I ate with them, I lived with them. Faunus are some of the nicest people I've known. But the Schnee Dust Company is what made them snap. They kept on discriminating against them. Hell, they even branded one of my former best pal's eye."

Blake's heart nearly stopped. She knew only one other person who had the Schnee Dust Company's logo branded on their eye.

"I was there when they went rogue. Became a terrorist group. Everyone turned on me and I was forced to run away and come here. I may think that the White Fang are criminals, maybe Blake is right and that they're misguided. What I do know is that they're tired of being pushed around," Ringo finished, panting angrily.

Ringo's bad mood followed him to the dorm. He actually made Weiss cry. He didn't even know that that was possible. He was just speaking his mind. Weiss' discriminatory attitude towards faunus in general was getting on his nerves.

He may have been discriminating faunus' too, but that was in the past. Ringo's traumatic experience with them was what caused his hatred. Once faunus' like Leia and Velvet came in his life, he realized that they're were two types of faunus' in the world. They're either with the White Fang or they aren't. Personally, he hated the former. Anyone associated with the White Fang.

"I thought we had something, Weiss. You were willing to turn on me if I was a faunus. You were going to throw all we had right out the window just because I was probably a different race. That's not what I like in people. I told you to not be like your father, but I guess it just runs in the family."

Ringo hated that Weiss betrayed him. If he was a faunus, she probably would've stopped associating with him. He believed that love shouldn't have any boundaries. Weiss proved that there are some people in the world who just can't accept others.

With that, Ringo headed out the door, ignoring Ruby's cries to stop.

* * *

Ringo was now outside staring at the statue. He reflected back on what he said. He didn't regret anything. At least Coco wasn't like that. She liked everyone, even if she was mean towards most people.

"I thought we truly did have something, Weiss. I even broke up with Coco for you," Ringo sighed, and stared at the statue.

"Ringo." Ringo glanced back to see Blake there.

"Hey." He wiped his moisty eyes. "Did you tell them about your...?"

"Kinda had to. I told them that you were with the White Fang after all." Blake responded, standing beside him. They both focused in on the Beowolf portion of the statue.

"That was a jerk move."

"I know. Sorry."

The two stood in silence for about two minutes.

"Will you at least show me?"

Blake closed her eyes. She slowly lifted her arms up to her bow and pulled the string. The bow fell off, revealing her cat faunus ears.

"Cool." Was all that Ringo said. They looked at each other, silently making a decision together. The two walked away from the statue, heading to a random direction. "I know a place in Vale where we can take shelter for the night. You in?"

Blake didn't take long to think about it. "Sure. I need to take a break from all this." The two shared a chuckle. Blake thought back to something that Ringo said during his rant.

"You know Adam Taurus, don't you?" Just saying his name made Blake feel disgusted.

Ringo grimanced. "He's the guy I've been talking about. You know him too?"

"He's the reason why I left the White Fang. I don't agree with their methods anymore, like you." Blake realized how much they had in common. She was relieved that Ringo took in her being in the White Fang well. A few minutes ago, he was going off of how much he hated them.

Ringo smiled weakly. "At least you learned your lesson." It suddenly struck him. "Huh. So we both got screwed over by Adam. Small world," He laughed, Blake joining him as well.

What neither of them noticed was a certain monkey faunus spying on them with jealousy in his eyes.

* * *

 **Second Author's Note: Yeah… that interaction with Penny was a thing, haha. There'll be more Blake and Yang bonding next chapter. We'll also have one jealous monkey faunus spying on them. Weiss and Ringo had yet another big argument again, which is where the drama part I talked about above comes from. The fallout between that, Ringo and Blake out on the run, the date, and the Stray will all be next chapter, or maybe next two chapters? Stay tuned.**


	8. Runaways

**Author's Note: This chapter is more filled if anything else. There's no line breaks as of now. I'll add them later. Nothing top important happens. I wanted an action scene but I couldn't find a way to put one so I held it off for now. Not much else other than Blake and Yang development.**

 **Lelouch-Strife: Yeah it was my decision. It's a harem story and I'm not one for a slow build in these particular types of stories. It won't be like that for everyone. Penny, I thought had at least a good amount of time in the world. That's why I had her do what she did.**

 **Blaze 1992: He is one lucky bastard and he doesn't even know it yet. I haven't read much where Jaune doesn't go to Beacon. I can only think of one off the top of my head but I don't remember the details.**

 **Guest: He still will be with Coco. She and Velvet are in the harem in case you're wondering.**

 **Trollzor69: Thanks!**

 **Razmire: Yes, I'm willing to admit that. Also, Father? As far as I'm aware, she's a android so she doesn't have any parents. Penny has a creator, which I'm sure isn't named or shown. I could be wrong.**

 **With those reviews all answered, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY and stuff like that. Only Ringo**

* * *

"Move!"

"You're in my way!"

"You're in my safehouse!"

Currently, Ringo and Blake were at it early in the morning. When Ringo mentioned shelter, Blake expected him to be talking about an actual house. It turned out that he was referring to a treehouse.

Blake had no issue with being up a tree. The treehouse was really cramped. There was clutter all over the area. The place reeked and there was only one bed. Ringo had taken the liberty to hog the entire bed, claiming that it was his to begin with. Blake had fallen out of the bed more times than she could count.

Neither of them fell asleep. They were used to not sleeping. The events of last night had taken a heavy toll on them.

Ringo sat up and grabbed a spray bottle of water. He squirted water at Blake, knowing full well that cats hate water. She hissed, jumping out of harm's way.

"Why did I even invite you? We don't even get along," Ringo muttered. "At least help me tidy up around here. Who knows how long we'll be out." He began to pick up a couple of dirty clothes from the ground. While he was glad to have found other clothes, these were dirty. He refused to smell like he came out of a zoo.

"Fine. Just put that spray bottle away." Ringo nodded, putting it back in its proper place. He placed his dirty clothes in a hamper. Blake started to fix up the bed that they shared.

"When did you make this place?" Blake decided to have small talk with her companion. It was better to clear the air instead of bickering.

"Back when I first came here. I was worried that Adam might've found me, so I made a home on a tree. Sneaky, eh?" Ringo grabbed a duster and cleaned up the furniture.

"Us faunus' have good eyesight. How did you keep this place under wraps?" When Ringo brought her here, she didn't notice the treehouse.

"Leaves. Lots of them. I picked the tree with the most leaves and started from there. I had to move out once fall kicked in and they all fell," He replied, organizing the books on the bookshelf.

Blake came over to check out his collection. She got a random book off the shelf. "How did you even afford to buy all of this? You got a bed, a desk, books, lava lamp, the mini fridge, rocking chair, the small television. Don't tell me you got a toilet too?"

It amazed her how much Ringo was able to fit inside the treehouse. No wonder it was a cramped. He had gone overboard with it. The treehouse looked bigger on the inside than the tree outside itself.

"It's over there," He chuckled, pointing at the toilet at the corner. How he managed to get it to function was beyond her guess. "I stole all of this. Pretty easy honestly."

"Stole?"

"Please, don't act like _you_ haven't stolen during your time with the White Fang." He rolled his eyes. Ringo placed a few picture frames on his desk. One was of a hook, similar to the one he had back at the dorm. Another was of him and his former team. The last one consisted of something that shocked Blake.

It was of a younger Ringo and Adam. They were with a group of White Fang, holding up signs, fighting for equal treatment of the faunus kind.

 _'So he wasn't kidding about that. Why keep it?'_ She wondered. In the picture, Adam still had both of his eyes. No brands on his face. It was weird looking at it, so she focused on picking up the garbage on the floor.

Blake threw it in the garbage can and sighed, "That's about it. Now what?" She surveyed the area. Honestly, it was a pretty cool treehouse now that it's all cleaned up. Ringo's dedication in building it really showed. It was a miracle that everything was in order and that no one found it.

"I don't know about you but I'm going to clean myself." Ringo held a couple of rags, towels, and a bar of soap in his hands.

"Where's the shower?" Blake didn't see any showers inside the treehouse.

"There's a small waterfall around here if I'm not mistaking. Sorry my feline friend, there's no shower in here." Ringo dropped the bathing items out the window and prepared to leave.

"You want us to wash up in nature?" Blake cringed. She had done it a few times. She very much preferred using a bathtub.

"You can stay here and stink. I'm going whether you come or not." Ringo hopped out of the window, landing with ease. He wandered on his own until he heard Blake silently drop down next to him.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. No one better see us." Blake kept her head down as they walked. If anyone saw her, she'd beat the daylights out of them. That included Ringo.

"Relax. Hardly anyone comes here." Ringo and Blake were unaware that a monkey faunus was hot on their trail.

They came across an area full of plants. There was a small cave opening embedded at the bottom of a hill. There were big rocks resting around the entrance. The small waterfall came rushing down from the top of the cave. To Blake's luck, there was so much water that was coming down that it made it hard to see if there was anything on the other side without going in.

"Here's the spot. Takes me back…" Ringo smiled, feeling a sense of comfort. Usually, he was terrified of being in the forest. But since he visited this area quite often, he got used to it.

The two went inside the cave and stood at the interior portion of the waterfall. The cave was a beauty to withhold. Blake started to see why Ringo chose to live around here.

"Welp, time to take these off." Ringo began to unzip his pants first.

"Stop! Stop!" Blake covered her eyes, beckoning him to stop. "I'm right here!" Ringo stopped midway.

"If you really have a problem with it then just go to the other side until I'm done." Blake hurriedly went to the other side while Ringo undressed.

Ten minutes have passed. Blake could hear her companion humming softly as he washed himself. She faintly saw the outline of his body in the wave of water rushing down from above.

Blake looked around the place. She remained nervous about doing this. For some odd reason, she felt like there was someone else nearby.

"All done!" Ringo emerged from the cave, going around the small waterfall. He wore nothing but a towel around his waist. Blake's cheeks slightly tinged pink, her eyes wandering around his toned body. The scar outlined around his heart was very much still there.

"I left the other towel and clean rag there. Do it quick. It may be early but I don't want to be out here too long," Ringo said, his uniform in his hands.

"I won't be long then. Just keep an eye out." Blake took a deep breath and made her way to the other side.

 _'She's on the right track. I think there's someone here too.'_ Anxiety was beginning to build upon Ringo. He had left Vinny at the treehouse, believing that nothing would attack them. He may very well have been wrong. It was stupid of him to believe such a thing.

A sudden rattle came from the bushes. Ringo's senses were on high alert.

"Who's there?" He asked. Whatever made the noise didn't respond.

"What's going on?" Blake stopped what she was doing and hid her more private body parts.

"I think someone's over there. Hurry it up. I-I'll go check it out," Ringo gulped. He was never one to go check out something that could be a deathtrap. However, he was with someone. Whether he argued with Blake or not, they had to have each others back in times like this.

Ringo quietly tip toed over to the bushes. His body was shaking anxiously. He was in nothing but a towel. It wasn't suitable for fighting conditions. Plus, he had to rely on his semblance. Weiss wasn't here, nor was Coco. He doubted that Blake could give him the sense of tranquility like they did.

"Got you!" Ringo hastily spread the bushes wide open. He was shocked to find Silver Junior as the culprit. The Campbell's dwarf hamster squeaked from the inside of his pink hamster ball, happy to see Ringo.

Ringo opened the lid and took out the hamster with one hand. His small size made it easy for Ringo to cradle him in his hands.

"How did you find me here? You're a smart hamster. You remembered where my secret hideout is and came all the way here to find me. Who's my brave little hamster? You are~" He petted Silver Junior's back.

Ringo returned back to the small waterfall. Blake was there, holding her weapon. Unlike Ringo, she kept it with her. She also wore her clothes, deciding not to go out in just a towel like Ringo.

"False alarm. It was just Silver Jr." Ringo showed her the hamster in his hand.

Blake was impressed. "He found you all the way out here? Either he has a dog-like nose or he knew exactly where you'd be. Smart." Silver Junior gladly accepted her praise. He jumped to the top of her wet hair and settled down there. He was right in between her cat ears.

"Wow. He must really like you. Silver Junior has only liked three people. Silver, Leia, and I were the ones that he allowed to pet him. He hated Vinny. I'm sure he hates the rest of our team too. Must be why he left and came to us." Ringo smiled sadly. Like with Yang, Silver Junior enjoyed running into Vinny's food. Ringo found it quite amusing.

"That's nice." Blake didn't mind letting the hamster rest on top of her head. She was proud that she was one of the very few that the hamster liked.

Gathering up everything, the two made their way back to the hidden treehouse.

"How's Weiss doing, little guy?" Ringo asked the hamster. Blake thought it was strange of him to talk to his hamster.

Silver Junior shed a several tears, describing Weiss' mood without words. Blake grew more and more impressed with the hamster.

"That bad? Dammit..." Ringo shook his head, a conflicted expression on his face.

"I still don't get why you dumped her. You two were perfect for each other. You made each other happy." Blake voiced her thoughts out loud. The two were the happiest when they were together. It genuinely surprised her when Ringo told her off, ending their short relationship.

"I did too. I haven't been that happy in a while when I was with Weiss," He admitted. "It's just that when you said that I was with the White Fang, I saw how scared she was of me. Like she was willing to throw away everything we had just because I could've been a faunus. I want someone who'll always be there for me, no matter what I am. What she did was completely discriminatory and unfaithful. I lost all trust in her. That's all there is to it."

Blake nodded along with his words. She was pleased that Ringo was against those who discriminated against faunus, even going so far as to breaking up a relationship because of it. He made a valid point. If he was a faunus, Blake was certain that Weiss would've ended it there. It showed how much being a faunus affected Weiss' mind set.

 _'Love should come from the heart. It shouldn't matter what race one is as long as both participants are happy together.'_ To her, Weiss didn't believe this. Blake understood why he did what he did now.

"Do you accept humans and faunus' that are with each other?" Blake knew what his take on it was. She just wanted to hear it.

"Of course. Silver and Leia were dating and I was happy for them." Ringo's face hardened. "Some people aren't like me. People were appalled of their relationship. It… it was the reason why they were killed. That bastard killed them because they were together. Said it was a sin and they had to be eradicated from existence."

Blake let out a small gasp. She was aware that there were many people against these kinds of relationships. It shocked her that someone would kill them because of it.

"Who-"

"That bastard, Adam is who!" Ringo was visibly getting angrier. "He was disgusted that Leia was dating a human. He called her a bloody traitor to all the faunus' in the world. They both had to be killed for the _good_ of their kind."

 _'When did he do this!?'_ Since it happened last year, Blake was Adam's partner during it. She never remembered Adam killing anyone under her watch. He must have done it behind her back. Her choice to leave the White Fang was the correct one as she kept learning more and more terrible things that the White Fang did.

"He also killed Professor Wisteria. He sacrificed himself to buy Vinny and I time to escape. We did, but it was never the same after that. We lost two teammates and a professor." Ringo stared at the uniform in his hands as he walked. The grief in his voice was distinguishable.

Blake's hatred for Adam soared. He hid the fact the he went and killed three people right under her nose. It was no wonder why Ringo hated the White Fang. They were literally there his whole life. They turned on him, did cruel experiments that later on gave him his semblance by force. Then they had the audacity to follow him to Vale and kill his teammates. He never caught a break.

One question lingered in Blake's mind. "What happened to Vinny?" She waited for a reply but it never came. It was a touchy subject for Ringo. She assumed that Vinny's death hurt him the most out of everyone. Hell, he named his weapon after him. Whatever Adam did to Vinny traumatized Ringo to the point that it broke him mentally.

For that, Blake respected his wishes and left the conversation at that. What confused her was why he didn't ask any questions of her experience with Adam. Then again, he already knew Adam's true nature. There was no need to ask questions when he knew the truth.

Ringo and Blake made it back to the treehouse. Ringo climbed up while Blake ran up the tree. They were inside with the energetic Silver Junior.

"Don't make a mess. We just cleaned up." Silver Jr. obliged. He jumped up a pillow on the bed and slept. "Man, Silver sure did get a lazy hamster," He chuckled, regaining a lighthearted attitude.

"I got some clean clothes if you're up for it. They're mine so it'll be bigger than what you usually wear," Ringo offered, rummaging through a basket.

"As long as it's clean." Blake caught one of his shirts and oddly enough, a pair of female pants and underwear. She glanced over at Ringo questionably.

He coughed, "Coco left them here last year..." He whistled awkwardly, obviously trying to not appear weird.

At Blake's request, Ringo turned around so he wouldn't take a peek at her while she undressed. He also had to cover his eyes so he wouldn't get any funny ideas.

When he looked at her after she was done, he was taken aback. Coco usually bought tight clothes to show off her style. Blake's curves were very much visible for Ringo's eyes. The shirt she was wearing had a logo of a thunderbolt on it. Seeing his shirt on her made it look a thousand times better.

"What?" Blake felt self conscious of her self image when Ringo began to stare.

"N-nothing." Ringo shook his current thoughts from his mind. Because of this, he slowly unwrapped his towel, forgetting about the person with him.

Blake's whole face shined bright red. Steam came blazing out of her nose along with a few traces of blood. Her eyes were solely focusing on one specific body part hanging down his pelvic region.

He put on a fresh set of clothes on, unaware of what he was doing. Once done, he gazed over at Blake, who had passed out.

"Weirdo." He set aside both of their dirty clothes and threw them in the hamper.

* * *

Back at Beacon, the two sisters of Team RRWBY were up and dressed for the day. Yang was the more amped one of the two. Today was going to be a special day for her.

"Haha! Yes! Today's the day of my date!" Yang said to herself, intentionally next to Ruby. She bumped her fists together, really feeling it today.

Ruby grunted, "Good for you…" She was in more of a grumpier mood. Two of her teammates vanished, the hamster was gone, and Weiss was moping around.

Speaking of Weiss, she was laying there on Ringo's bed. A box of tissues sat beside her. Her eyes were red, from the crying and from staying awake all night. She was buried deep inside the blanket, only leaving her face uncovered.

"No need to fret, dear baby sister! I might butter up some compliments your way to make you look good." Yang patted her head, eliciting Ruby to slap her hand away.

"What if he doesn't show up?" Ruby questioned.

Yang smile faded. "Well…" Ringo did just up and leave Beacon to who knows where. The possibility of him no-showing the date was high. "He will show up. Like he said, he's a man of his word."

Yang was sure that Ringo wouldn't back out. It wasn't in his nature to do something like that.

"What are we going to do about Weiss?" The two glanced at Weiss, finding her still in her depressed state. "I think Ringo broke her. She won't even respond to me. See."

Ruby pulled out her whistle and blew it in front of Weiss' face. The sound alone should've broken her eardrums. Weiss usually would've gave Ruby an earful. But she continued laying there, acting as if Ruby didn't do anything.

"That is weird," Yang agreed. "I didn't think Ringo's words would have hurt her this much." Yang's scroll began to beep. She saw that it was Ringo's number. Grinning, she picked up.

"Ring boy! Nice of you to call!"

"Uh… yeah. Listen, about our date." Ruby noticed that Weiss snapped out of her sadness and was staring at the scroll in Yang's hands. "Wait, are you with the team?"

"Yep! Say hello Ruby!"

"Hi! Ringo, are you safe?" Ruby asked, concerned with her teammate.

"Yeah, I got Blake with me as we speak." Hearing that the two were safe brightened Ruby's mood. "Hey, do you mind handing the scroll to Yang?"

Ruby gave the scroll back to Yang. "What were you saying again?"

"Our date. You remember the place we agreed on? Meet me there at around seven. I'll see you there," Ringo informed her. Yang pumped her fist in the air.

"Great! I'll meet you then! Bye~" Yang hanged up and grinned wildly. "See? Ringo kept his end of the deal. Now if you'll excuse me, I got to find something nice to wear." She bolted inside one of the closets, rummaging through her clothes.

"I can help!" Ruby went inside the closet to help out Yang. Her jealousy disappeared as she helped.

When they were both gone, Weiss took the opportunity to let out several more fresh tears. Yang was going on a date with Ringo. Just thinking about him made her heart clench.

She buried her face into Ringo's pillows, quietly weeping.

* * *

Ringo tossed his scroll at his bed. Blake was sitting on the rocking chair, relaxing.

"I'm surprised you're still going out with Yang," Blake said.

Ringo shrugged. "A bet's a bet. I have to keep my word. Besides, it's a little date. I don't believe I'll fall for her in just one night. It'd be way too soon after I cut it off with Weiss."

"I hope you know what you're doing. You're already on your third girl in what, a week?" Blake shook her head, disappointed.

"In my defense, one was very controlling of my life and the other wasn't committed!" Ringo protested. He grabbed his wallet and gently tucked it in his pocket.

"I'm going to the city to buy some clothes. You in?"

"Sure. I've got nothing else to do." Blake placed Silver Junior back in his hamster ball. "You can protect the treehouse while we're out. You up for the task?"

Silver Junior saluted, hiding above a cabinet to sneak attack on any intruders. Ringo and Blake hopped down the treehouse and made their way to the city.

Along the way, Ringo played around with his semblance, despite his uneasiness towards it. He clench his left hand, garnering electricity to circulate around it. He looked around, scouting a target.

Blake watched him as he shot the ground, creating a field of electricity. She made sure to stay behind him, discovering on her own that the field in front of him only covered the front of him. He was vulnerable to attacks from behind.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Blake inquired, readjusting her bow. His semblance can make him go insane. She knew that much. It wasn't wise for him to do this out in the middle of nowhere.

"I know what I'm doing. You want to be my test subject?" The calm tone in his voice was what creeped Blake out the most. She heard from Ruby that Ringo nearly drew Cardin insane during their duel. That and Ringo did _actually_ make his former bully go insane. She wanted nothing to do with his semblance.

"I'm good. Please do put that away," Blake requested. Ringo sighed, retracting his hand back to his side.

"I got a secret power," Ringo said out of nowhere. "If you think my semblance is unsettling, wait until you hear this."

 _'Why is he telling me this?'_ Blake pondered. She didn't object. It was nice finding out more about her mysterious teammate. Also, they were bound to be on the run for a while. Learning more about each other would be for the best.

"I told you my heart is half electricity, right?" Blake inclined her head. "What if I told you that my heart can be used as a last resort plan?"

Blake stiffened. _'D-does it actually mean…'_

"It only works if something makes direct contact with my heart." Ringo tapped his finger over his heart. Static came out from his chest. "I like to call it, Overcharge. It's never activated before. I didn't know about it until I did some research on how my body functions. It's more of a theory, which I'm eighty five percent sure about. Basically, if something touches my heart, say a spear, then my heart charges and unleashes a powerful surge of electricity stemming from the main core."

 _'That's worrisome. What would happen if it was by accident. No, something piercing through his chest wouldn't be an accident.'_

"What are the chances you survive it? You call it a last resort, meaning it has a major drawback. So it should only be used for desperate measures," Blake concluded correctly.

"You're quite clever. You figured it out quick. I calculated a percentage based on my findings." Ringo stuck out one single finger. "One. A one percent chance that I'll survive. That's why I've never fully tested it once. I almost did when Adam ambushed my team and I. I don't think I'll ever do it on purpose. It's not like I have a choice anyway. It'll do it on its own. I'm fucked either way."

Blake pitied the older teen. Not only did he have the high possibility to turn insane, his aura was much weaker and he could explode during a battle. All of those spelled an early death for him.

 _'No. He's made it this far. He knows what he's doing.'_ Blake assured herself.

The duo made it to the city. The first place that they visited was the clothing store. Ringo found a decent looking store that didn't have pricey articles of clothing. They went in.

"We can go search for your clothes first," Blake suggested. Ringo agreed and led the way to the men's section.

"What are you looking for anyway?"

Ringo rubbed his chin, checking out all of the clothes in the area. "I'm really itching for a lab coat. It's what I wore last year."

"I don't think we'll find a-"

"Here we are!" Blake's jaw dropped. True to his words, Ringo found a row of lab coats, varying in different colors and sizes.

"Ooh! This one is neat!" Ringo held a dirty lab coat with a brown belt in the middle. It was the complete opposite of neat.

"You really want to spend money on that dirty thing?" Blake at least thought Ringo was smarter than that.

"It's the style! Yes… it'll go great with a tie. Come on!" Ringo dragged her all over the store, eventually settling on a blue tie and another white dress shirt. He also picked out a couple of casual clothes, including one with hook on it, one with a red cross symbol, and a plain grey t-shirt. He picked out a couple of jeans too.

When it was Blake's turn, she headed for a random section that just so happened to have bras and underwear in it.

"Do you mind?" Blake huffed, feeling a little embarrassed.

"No. Coco had me help her out with her clothes too." Ringo grabbed a lacy black bra and hovered it in front of Blake's chest. "Looks about right. It wouldn't hurt if it's bigger, at least that's what Coco says."

Blake blushed up a storm. She slapped Ringo, yanking the bra from him and putting it back to where it belonged.

"Ow! Hey!" Ringo held his stinging cheek, glaring at the cat faunus. "I was only making a suggestion. You're making such a big deal out of nothing."

"I am not Coco. We do not share similar thoughts. I don't want you picking out my underwear!" Blake hissed.

"I thought all girls want guys to tell them how good they look." He earned another slap because of that comment.

"I don't. Leave. Now." Ringo took the hint. He left and wandered around the store while Blake was doing her shopping.

Ringo set his clothes down on a bench and decided to sit down for the meantime. He checked his scroll. Ruby had sent him a message. Curious, he opened it. It read:

 _'Come back soon!'_

A image of a heartbroken Beowolf was attached to the message. Ringo found it cute, especially since it was from Ruby. He texted back, saying that he'll come back when things are sorted out.

What caught his eye was the number of messages sent by Weiss. There was about fifty of them, consisting of text messages and voicemails. Ringo's brow furrowed. He ignored all of them and went to Yang next. She also sent something to him. It read:

 _'See you at seven, Ring boy!'_

A picture of her in the dress she bought was attached to the message. Ringo's eye bulged out, taking in Yang's beauty. His cheeks reddened, eyes on her well proportioned figure. He had to admit, he was lucky that someone well developed as Yang was going out with him. Even if it was a bet, though Yang was the one who set up the rules. She wanted this.

 _'Snap out of it, Ringo! You just went through two girlfriends in a week! What would people think of you!?'_

He hated it, but one of Penny's sentences resurfaced in his memory. She was okay with dating him even though he was with someone at the time. Ringo had grown up with people around him only having one partner. The thought of having multiple partners was strange to him. It may be the dreams of some, but to him, he wasn't particularly sure.

Ringo noticed there was one more text that was unread. It was from Velvet. Ringo smiled, opening the message to see what she had to say. It read:

 _'You have to leave! Coco is really angry, like she wants to kill someone angry! We're coming back tomorrow. Why did you break up with her over text!?'_

Ringo's heart dropped. He reread the message several times. He dropped his phone. His face paled considerably. The message was sent yesterday, meaning they were due back today.

He was secretly glad that he left. If he had not, Coco would be beating his ass right about now. Ringo shuddered, imagining the things Coco would do to him since she was furious with the break up.

 _'Sh-shit! I shouldn't have done that!'_ Ringo panicked. All he could think about was the grave that was going to be dug up for him. That was how much he was afraid of Coco.

"M-maybe I can make it up to her with those earrings…" On the inside, he knew that this wouldn't work. Whenever Coco was livid, Ringo was usually there to calm her down. He'd hugged her and kissed her forehead, which resulted in a happy Coco. This time around, she was angry at him. Calming her down wouldn't work one bit, especially if it was him.

 _'Now's a good time to tell someone where my will is. I've had that thing since forever ago.'_ Ringo had written his own will back when he was on the run during his trip to Vale. He later revised it once he was placed into Team SLVR. Then he had to revise it again with the exclusions of his late teammates.

Just then, Blake came his way with the clothes she wanted in her arms.

"What's up with you?"

"Coco is what's up. Look!" Ringo showed her the text message from Velvet.

Blake spoke, "Why would you break someone up over text? That's your own fault."

"But I was gaga for Weiss back then!" He whined. "I am so lucky that I'm even here. Who knows what's happening at Beacon right now."

If only they knew what was going on at Beacon.

* * *

Weiss was still laying on Ringo's bed. The amount of tissue boxes increased since morning. Ruby and Yang had left to do some errands before Yang's date. Beside Weiss was an expensive bucket of vanilla ice cream. It was half empty by now.

"WHERE IS HE!?" A voice screamed from outside the building. Weiss could hear heavy footsteps followed by the shrieks of terror by some of the other first years, including Jaune. Before she knew it, someone broke the door in their dorm, three other people right on their heels.

"Coco?" Weiss recognized her clearly because of all the photos Ringo showed her. The other three people must have been her teammates.

"Chill out Coco. He isn't even here!" The taller team member said to his leader.

"I do not care! He's hiding somewhere in here and I'm going to find him!" Coco noticed the giant lump on the bed. "Making no attempt to hide this time? You're toast now!" She lunged at the bed, but was held back by Yatsuhashi, Fox, and Velvet.

"That's not him, Coco!" Velvet squeaked. Coco squinted, seeing that it was in fact a girl instead of Ringo's soon-to-be corpse.

"Is that a Schnee? Ringo got unlucky with this one on the team." Coco walked up to Weiss and crouched down to meet her level. "What's wrong Schnee, daddy not give you your allowance?"

"Coco…"

"Or maybe you broke a fingernail?"

"Coco…"

"I know! You let a faunus walk over you?"

"Cut it out!" Velvet stopped her. "Weiss Schnee isn't all that bad."

Coco rose an eyebrow. "Really? Remind me again, what is she inheriting?"

"The Schnee Dust Company. That doesn't have to do with-"

"Ringo doesn't like the Schnee Dust Company. Would've thought you'd agreed with his view like you always do." Velvet lowered her head, her ears drooping down.

"I-I don't always agree with him…" She twiddled her fingers. "A-also, Weiss here might be different."

"Please. A Schnee is a Schnee. It runs in the family. Hell, I bet she already hates you." Velvet gasped, Coco's words were influencing her. Everyone knew that the Schnee's, more importantly the Schnee Dust Company, had their quarrels with faunus.

 _'Th-that's what Ringo said.'_ Weiss thought back to yesterday. Ringo told her that her views on faunus' ran in the family too. It was the whole reason why he split up with her. Practically everyone at at Beacon judged her because of her family name. One of the main reasons she came here was to make a name for herself. Her family name followed her whenever he she went.

It was about time she changed that. Hopefully then, Ringo would forgive her by seeing how much she changed.

"I-I don't hate you..." Weiss sniffled, wiping away the last of her dry tears. "Ringo's told me about you. He said you were really nice and beautiful."

Velvet's whole face burned red. "H-he really said that about me?" She asked hopefully. Weiss nodded, nearly causing the rabbit faunus to faint.

"Where is he!?" Coco intruded, her sunglasses masking her glare.

Weiss knew how Coco could act based from Ringo's stories. Even though Ringo wasn't happy with her, Weiss felt the need to help him regardless. It would be the first of many deeds she was going to do to redeem herself.

"He isn't here right now." Weiss gave her vague information. That was because she really didn't know where he was either. All she knew was that he was somewhere in Vale. He couldn't have gone that far.

"You aren't lying to me, are you?" Coco inched closer to Weiss. She leaned forward, pulling down her sunglasses slightly so Weiss could see the seriousness in her eyes.

"No," Weiss said with a straight face. She didn't have to pretend since she was telling the truth.

Coco eyes sharpened. She stared down the heiress for a full ten seconds. She huffed, swiftly turning around, her high heeled leather boots clicking.

"We're leaving. When I hear that Ringo comes back, he'll get it. Until then..." Coco was the first one to leave.

"When he does come back. Let us know. We'll try to keep her away before she does find out." Yatsuhashi handed her his scroll number. He and Fox left too. Velvet was on the verge of leaving too until Weiss called out to her.

"Wait!" Velvet stopped, gazing at the heiress curiously. "I-if you don't mind, I'd like to learn more about you."

Velvet smiled softly, accepting Weiss' request.

* * *

"Mehehe! This is fun!"

"Give someone else a turn! You've already had five!"

"Never!"

Ringo was currently on one of the kiddy rides that operated on quarters. A line of kids were behind him. Ringo refused to let anyone have a turn.

"There you are!" Blake pinched his ear, dragging him away from the ride. The kids rejoiced as Ringo tried to escape from her.

"Hey! I was having fun!" Ringo complained. Blake dropped him near their bags of clothes.

"You were ruining others fun. Besides, we've been here long enough. We should go head back and pick up some lunch along the way." Blake carried her bags, opting Ringo to do the same.

"Don't be such a wet blanket. I want to have some fun." Ringo looked around, ignoring Blake. His eyes lit up, spotting an arcade. "There's my ticket to fun!" Grinning like a child, Ringo hurried over to the arcade.

"Ringo! Ugh!" Blake gritted her teeth. She had no choice but to follow him since she had no idea where the treehouse truly was.

"Wow!" Ringo had sparkles in his eyes once he was inside the arcade. They never had one of these at Vacuo! He saw a machine that wanted money. Grinning, Ringo placed a couple of dollars inside it.

It spat out quarters. He eagerly took it all and dashed to one of the games.

"Ringo!" Blake watched him climb over a basketball tossing game. He grabbed as many basketballs as he could he started to dropped them down the net at a rapid pace. The points, along with the number of tickets skyrocketed.

When the time was up, Ringo shoved his stack load of tickets inside his pockets and headed for a new game. Blake groaned, her attempts to stop him were futile.

Ringo was at the Whack-a-Mole station next. He grabbed the mallet and inserted a quarter. A couple of moles popped their head up. Ringo grabbed one of their poor heads by force and bashed it repeatedly with his mallet. Like before, tickets were coming out of a slot very quickly.

Ringo left the station utterly destroyed. The moles lost their heads. The mallet had a big dent on it. He was now at a hunting game. The objective was to hunt deer.

Blake gasped, flinching everytime Ringo shot a deer's head. Thanks to Ringo's expertise with his weapon, he was already an expert, shooting off deer's head in a snap. Naturally, he got the top score. He snatched the tickets and went for another game.

Ringo stood in front of a coin pusher. There was tons of money and prizes that he wanted. Ringo shook the machine violently, the items inside instantly coming down. He was sure that he regained his money that he spent after that fun little game.

Blake had just enough of Ringo's childish behavior. He was wrecking the arcade. They were going to get kicked out for sure! She marched up to the older teen, who was putting his hand inside a crane game.

"Ringo, we're leaving right... now…?" Blake blinked. Ringo grabbed a cat plush and presented it to Blake, smiling widely.

"Isn't it cute? Here, you can have it." Ringo gave her the plush. Blake held the toy cat. She stared at it, her eyes filled with wonderment.

 _'I've never been given a gift from someone outside my family before…'_ Adam didn't count. He never gave her anything anyway. Blake hugged the cat toy close.

"Thank you…" Blake thanked him. Ringo saluted. He calmly walked to the prize area. He dumped his tickets on the counter. The one running the prize area gasped, not believing how much tickets he managed to gather.

"I'll like that please!" Ringo pointed at the prize that required the largest amount of tickets. It was a brand new television. What it was doing at an arcade was beyond him. The person grabbed the television and reluctantly handed it to Ringo.

"Thanks!" Ringo now had a television to carry. "Let's hurry back so I can set this puppy up!" He ran out of the arcade faster than he should've. The carnage he left behind would certainly have cost him a fortune. Blake was not too far behind him.

The two walked in a comfort silence once they were at a fair distance from the arcade. Ringo carried his television with his bags on top of it. Blake was pleasantly surprised that he was strong enough to carry all of that, so she placed her bags on top too.

Ringo didn't mind. He was excited. He hadn't felt this free since he first came to Vale. Back when he used to steal, It always gave him an exhilarating rush. He was never caught in the act either. His days as a criminal were long past him. He had to admit, it was pretty fun while it lasted.

They arrived at the spot.

"Silver Junior! Open the hatch, please!" The opening on the bottom of the treehouse opened. "Bring down the ladder!" A ladder made of rope dropped down. "Hmm… how can I get this all up there?" The bags were an easy task. The television was the opposite of that.

"Drop down the basket!" A basket came down, attached by a piece of rope. He turned to the mystified Blake. "Alright. Let's get our bags up there first!" He placed both his and Blake's bags in the basket. Ringo tugged on the rope.

To Blake's utter shock, the basket began to go up on its own. A minute later, it came back down, empty. Next, Ringo put the television in. It barely fitted inside.

"I'll help you with this one, buddy. Let's climb up, Blake." Not waiting for her, Ringo climbed the ladder.

 _'Th-this is amazing! It's like something out of a book. How did Ringo plan all this out?'_ Blake admired her teammate for his creativity. Living with him wouldn't be as bad as she originally thought.

She went up. The treehouse was in the same condition as they left it. Silver Junior did a good job defending their temporary home. Speaking of the hamster, he was wearing a tiny buccaneer hat. A piece of rope was next to him. The piece of rope that was used to lift the basket.

"That hamster is strong…" Blake mumbled. Ringo took initiative and grasped the rope. He pulled it all the way up, getting his new television inside. Ringo brought the ladder inside too and shut the hatch.

Ringo replaced the old small television with the brand new one. He put an antenna on top of it and plugged it in the bark of the tree.

 _'Is he an actual idiot?'_ Blake eyes turned into squiggles when Ringo fired off a blast of electricity at the spot where he plugged the cables in the tree. The television turned on, static on the screen.

He twisted the antenna a bit until he received signal. Satisfied, Ringo sat on the rocking chair and changed through the channels with the remote that came with the television. Silver Jr. sat on his shoulder, watching television as well.

 _'How…?'_ Blake stopped questioning the situation. What mattered was that they were supposed to relax. This was sort of a getaway from all their problems.

"Just relax, Blake. This is your time. No school, no Schnees, nothing but your teammate Ringo and his hamster," Blake whispered to herself. She went over to the bookshelf and grabbed a random book.

She plopped down on the bed and read.

* * *

It was around seven. Ringo showed up a few minutes early at the front of the restaurant. It was a fancy one, meaning that he had to wear a suit. It didn't bother him all that much. He was already used to wearing his school uniform.

"Ring boy!" Yang rounded up around the corner in the dress that was in the picture that she sent. She was stunning. Ringo kept his composure for the most part, having already been familiar with going out on dates in the past.

"Yang. You look nice."

Yang frowned. "Just nice?"

"Huh? O-oh! I mean you look fantastic! Memorizing! Beautiful! All that times infinity!" Ringo blurted out. His response got a giggle out of Yang.

"Relax. I was just messing with ya." Yang looped her arm around Ringo's. "Let's head on inside. I'm starving!" The two headed inside and were met with the scent of food hitting their nostrils.

It was somewhat of a fancier location. Everyone in there had formal attire on. Even the design was fancy. Plates, tablecloths, utensils, you name it.

Ringo fidgeted awkwardly, feeling out of place in such a fancy restaurant. So did Yang, but she hid it well.

"Erm… I ordered a reservation under Ringo Yin. Table for two," Ringo said to the lady working behind the computer.

"Ringo Yin… ah yes! Right this way!" The lady led them to their table, which was right at the middle of the restaurant.

Ringo and Yang sat down and read over the menu. Ringo didn't even know most, if not, all of the items on the menu. His inner anxiety kicked in. He felt as if everyone was watching him.

"So Ring boy," Yang started. "You've been holding out alright? Has Blake been any trouble?"

Ringo tugged the collar of his suit. "Y-yes. N-no trouble." He grew distant, trembling over what to order.

"Hey." Yang placed her hand over his shaky one. A concerned look appeared on her face. "This place isn't too much trouble for you, is it?"

"No!" He said a little too loudly. The many eyes of the other customers weighed down on him. Ringo slid down his seat, attempting to hide himself from everyone.

"I didn't expect you to be this awkward about it…" Yang wasn't going to let this ruin their date. When the waitress came back with the water, Yang grabbed the glass and threw it on the lady's face.

Yang laughed, getting a kick out of seeing Ringo and the lady's face.

"I saw how you were looking at me. Take that!" She threw Ringo's glass at her again, drenching her with water.

"Y-yang! Not after I blew all my money on those reservations…" Ringo slammed his forehead on the table. His empty wallet cried, money less.

"Get up, Ring boy! The security is coming!" To make matters worse, a duo of big burly men marched towards them. Ringo yelped, accidentally letting a shockwave of Shock Therapy out.

The two men, along with everyone but Yang screamed, holding their heads in pain. Yang resisted against it, much like her younger sister, Ruby. Yang noticed that the lady behind the desk was also under the effects.

"Take your money back! Quick!" Yang pushed him forward. Snapping out of his trance, Ringo nodded and hopped over the desk. He grabbed as much money as he could before shrugging and taking the whole cash register instead.

"Run!" Both Ringo and Yang escaped the scene, leaving behind a restaurant full of stunned customers.

They didn't stop running until after a few minutes have passed. Ringo dropped the cash register down to catch his breath. Yang did so as well. The two exchanged glances and began to burst out laughing.

"What the hell even was that? We were only two minutes into our date and we just stole all their money!" Ringo chuckled. His eyes gleamed at all the money in the cash register.

"I said to only take your money. I'm afraid I have to call the cops on you." Yang broke her serious facade with more fits of giggles. "Split the money in half, will ya?"

"Sure. Either way, I'm walking out with more money." Ringo counted a huge amount of nearly one thousand dollars. He eagerly split it evenly with Yang.

"Mama's buying herself some new hair brushes!" Yang squealed, putting her money inside her purse. "I never took you for the stealing type."

Ringo chuckled heartily, "Please. I'm practically an expert at it. I've been stealing since I arrived at Vale." He revealed, changing Yang's perception of him.

"Really?" Yang looked around. Coincidentally enough, there was a nearby food truck. The two decided to eat there instead.

Once they ordered and received their food, Ringo and Yang sat at one of the tables together. Yang took the liberty to sit right next to him as they ate.

"Why did you do that back at the restaurant? I know how much you really wanted to eat there," Ringo said, comparing the restaurant to where they are now. They were eating by a food truck, now too underdressed for the setting.

"I did really want to eat there…" Yang trailed off, taking a bite out of her food. "I saw how uncomfortable you were. What's a date if someone isn't enjoying it?"

Her words hit Ringo hard. It was technically his fault that she wasn't going to dine at the fancy restaurant. She could've called it off and gone with someone else. Yet, she chose to stay with him. For whatever reason, Yang really wanted this date with him. It made his chest radiate greatly.

That feelings increased when Yang leaned onto his shoulder, eating her food in a blissful peace.

 _'I do still feel bad that she went through all this trouble for nothing. She even bought the dress.'_ Ringo made it his mission to make this date a good one. The setback wasn't going to bring this date down!

Ringo wrapped an arm around Yang, bringing her in closer. Yang was pleasantly surprised by this.

"Tell me, why did you steal?" Yang asked, smiling from the close contact.

"I kinda wasted my money on affording a trip to get here. I'm sure you remember Blake telling everyone that I was with the White Fang." Ringo remained peeved by the fact that Blake exposed his secret. If anything, it was something he was going to remember for future references.

"Oh yeah. Weiss was scared out of her wits when she said that." Yang was oblivious that mentioning Weiss was a sore topic for Ringo, especially because of the reasoning.

"Right…" Ringo coughed. "Anyway, I suppose it's a good time to explain why I was with them before you jump to conclusions like a certain someone."

Ringo went on to explain what he already told Blake. He intentionally refrained from naming his former close friend, Adam as it would probably cause an outcry. Adam is a notable member in the White Fang. He was unsure of whether to tell Yang about the experiments. Ultimately, he saved it for a later time, when everyone was back together. It would be better that way instead of repeating the same things over and over.

What he did say was that the White Fang chased him to Vale. Like the experiments, Ringo kept quiet on who murdered his friends.

When he was done, Yang wrapped him in a big hug. Ringo was caught off guard by the gesture, but accepted it anyway.

"I can't imagine having to constantly be in danger. No wonder you're so jittery." Yang pitied her teammate. Out of the goodness of his heart, he protested with the White Fang to help bring peace, even if it was extremely dangerous for a human to be with them. The organization backstabbed him after they went rogue. Then he had to travel to Vale all on his own and survive from the White Fang that was hunting him down.

"They aren't that bad, like Blake said. That's my opinion in the past. Right now, they're ready to kill. It's only a matter of time before they strike," Ringo warned her, finishing up the last of his dinner. He got up to throw both of their trash in the trash can.

"This date can't end so soon. I gotta find something else for us to do." Yang surveyed her surroundings again. There was a park nearby. "Bingo!"

Yang met up with Ringo and grabbed his arm. "Ring boy! We should walk to burn out all the food we ate!" She dragged him to one of the pathways. Yang squeezed tighter as they walked.

"Yang…" Ringo stopped, facing her seriously. "Why did you want to go out with me? I'm not an eye catcher."

A sly smile creeped its way to Yang's lips. "Duh. I like you."

"But why? I haven't done anything other than act like a lunatic." Ringo stared at the ground, avoiding her gaze.

"I remember what you said about Coco. You were the only one brave enough to ask her out. I guess it's sorta like the same for me," She admitted.

"I never-"

"I said sorta!" Yang slapped his arm. "I've met some guys in the past but it was never anything serious. They either turned out to be cowards or jerks. I haven't met anyone that fits under my qualifications until I met you." She grabbed both of his hands.

"You're strong. You went undefeated for a whole semester before whatever the _'incident'_ is, happened. Plus, you're one of the nicest guys I've met. That hamster of yours is another story…" She grumbled, still smiling. Ringo chuckled at that.

"I still find it pretty hard to believe that someone as gorgeous as you wanted to go on a date with me. We've barely known each other for a month."

"A month?" Yang blinked. "It's felt longer than that. With everything that's been happening, only our team is having the worst of it." She pointed out. Ringo realized that she was right. Team JNPR only had the Jaune and Cardin problem, which was resolved. Team RRWBY had gone through more than some leader being ashamed that he faked some transcripts.

"We haven't spent as much time together as I liked. Weiss hogged your attention twenty four seven. I was hoping that after this night, things could change. We could hang out more and see where this leads us to." Yang and Ringo made eye contact. Her lilac eyes pierced through his blue ones.

"You already know how I feel about it. How about you?" Yang's question made Ringo think. After this date, he could definitely say that there is a connection between him and Yang. She was the type of person who'd stay loyal to her friends.

"I have to come clean..." Ringo gulped, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Weiss and I had a thing going on before we went on this date. Ended it yesterday. I even broke up with Coco to be with her."

He sweatdropped when Yang shrugged. "I want to say that I'm surprised, but I'm not. I kinda figured out that the two of you were already tight. Also…" Yang slapped him hard. "That's for going behind my back!" Then she kissed him on the cheek that she slapped. "And that's for being honest with me."

Ringo touched the area where Yang's lips kissed him. "I don't get it…"

"Answer the question," Yang repeated more sternly.

He answered her honestly, "It's too soon. I went through both Coco and Weiss in a matter of a couple of days. I'm not looking for a relationship right now." Yang's eyes saddened. Catching this, Ringo enveloped her into a hug. "Give it some time. I wouldn't count it out. It's like you said, we should hang out more and see where it goes from there."

"Really?" Yang looked up at him, seeing him nod. "That's all I ask for."

The two stayed in each other's arms for the conclusion of their date.

* * *

Ringo returned to the treehouse in a much better mood. He dreaded the date earlier, but it turned out to be the opposite of what he expected. Yang was full of many surprises. All of which made the date fun.

Blake was still on the bed reading one of his books in her sleepwear. She heard Ringo's voice from down below. She opened the hatch and dropped down the ladder. Ringo came up and retrieved the ladder back inside.

"How'd it go?" Blake asked, secretly intrigued with how the date went.

"Well. We aren't in love or anything though. At least, I'm not," Ringo said, speaking for himself instead of them both. He removed the top portion of his suit, letting out a content sigh. "That feels good."

"Nothing happened?"

"Not necessarily. She did kiss me on the cheek. That's about it though. We ate and had fun, like a date should be." He collapsed on the bed, nuzzling his pillow.

Blake scooted away from him. "Sleeping already?"

"Hopefully…" Ringo grudgingly launched himself to the cabinet. He opened the drawer and pulled out a familiar canister of sleeping pills. He popped it opened and dumped one out on his hand.

"Sleeping pills? Really? I'm a night owl myself but even I can sleep without issue." Blake eyed the pill cautiously. "Have you've been taking those every night? That's not healthy for the human body."

Ringo flipped her off, quickly gulping the pill. "Of course! My fucking mind is messed up. How else will I sleep?" He laid down on the bed, pulling the cover to him only. "Coco helped me, but she's not here. Weiss did too, but she's not here either."

Blake snatched the blanket from him. "I don't care if you want to sleep. You have to share!" The two engaged in a tug-of-war over the blanket. It ended when the blanket was shredded in half.

"Hmph." Ringo noticed that Blake's half was slightly bigger than his. The tug-of-war re engaged several times between their halves of the blanket. Soon, there was nothing to take apart.

"Great! Look at what you did!" Ringo poured the blame on Blake. "We have nothing to cover ourselves with! Now I have to add blanket to the list of things I have to buy for this place."

"Maybe if you shared, we wouldn't have this problem," Blake countered. Her body shivered slightly when a cool breeze entered the open window.

Ringo groaned, "Great. That's what I get for not investing in curtains and actual window glass. This couldn't possibly get any worse."

As if questioning his words, thunder boomed, which was soon followed with the sound of rain falling down hard.

"Quick! Block the windows!" Ringo, Blake, and Silver Jumior quickly rushed over to a window. Ringo placed his lava lamp on the window opening. The strong winds blew it away, cracking when it hit the bottom.

Blake stacked several books that she didn't particularly like from Ringo's collection and put them on the window opening. It worked, for about five seconds before they all fell too.

Silver Jr. decided to use himself as a barricade. Unfortunately for him, he was carried away by the wind.

"Oh no!" Ringo gasped. He rushed over to the window and poked his head through it. He saw a figure standing at the bottom. They were holding his precious hamster in their hands.

"Hey! You dropped something!" The person said.

"Blake, you have night vision. See who that is." Ringo stepped to the side to allow Blake to identify the person. When she peered down the window, Ringo pushed himself next to her, worried for Silver Junior's health. "Who is it!?"

Blake surprisingly hid behind him. "It's that creepy male monkey faunus from before. Just go ask for your hamster. Don't let him in."

She returned back to the bed, resuming her reading.

Ringo hesitantly opened the hatch. "Return my hamster!"

"Let me up then!" The monkey faunus pleaded. Fulfilling Blake's wishes, Ringo didn't allow him to enter his treehouse.

"No. You can just put him in here!" Ringo dropped the basket.

"I want in!"

Ringo scratched his head. A light bulb appeared above his head. He grabbed the light bulb and tossed it to the side.

"Alright! Just return Silver Junior first."

Blake reacted immediately. "What are you doing!?"

"Trust me." Ringo instructed her. He had gotten her this far, the least she could do was trust him for the moment.

"Deal!" The monkey faunus put Silver Junior in the basket. Ringo pulled the basket up and hugged Silver Jr.

"Glad you're okay, buddy." Ringo shut the hatch, not providing the faunus with entry.

Blake smirked. His method was cruel yes, but very effective. He tricked the monkey faunus with one of the most simplest tricks in the book.

"No fair! I did what you told me to! If it wasn't for me, your hamster would be dead!" The voice of the faunus rang through the rain.

 _'He's right.'_ The guilt set in for Ringo. He had to repay the stranger for saving Silver Junior's life.

"The treehouse is strictly members only! Guess the password and I'll let you in! Your only hint is sharp! You get two chances per day so think carefully!" He shouted. Ringo peeked out the window again to see the faunus in a thinking position.

"That should keep him busy." Ringo laid back down on the bed. With the lava lamp destroyed, there was no sources of light in the treehouse.

 _'Great. Now I'm fully awake.'_ The whole exchange seemed to have brushed off the effects of the pill from Ringo's system. Following Blake's advise, he was against scooping in another pill.

 _'Lucky girl. She can read in the dark.'_ Ringo closed his eyes, letting his thoughts wander freely. That didn't work out too well. A bundle of blood curdling screams erupted from his mind. He opened his eyes in an instant.

 _'Wait a minute… Leia said something about cats. Their purring can relieve stress…'_ An evil plan came to Ringo. One that Blake most definitely wouldn't approve of.

His eyes barely made out her ears. She must have taken off her bow when he was on his date. He slowly made his move by scooting closer to his teammate.

Blake was too engaged in her reading to see him slowly wrapping an arm around her. When she did feel his arm around her shoulder, she spoke.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a hint of venom in her voice because of having her personal space invaded.

"What? I can't be close to my teammate? Besides, it's chilly and there's no blanket. Body warmth is the next best thing. Hehe…" He laughed nervously. To his luck, Blake didn't pummel him into next Tuesday.

"Fine. Just don't interrupt my reading." Blake went back to reading. Ringo sighed, now fully pressing his side against hers because she was on board with it.

Blake actually rested her head on Ringo's shoulder, finding it a more comfortable position for reading.

 _'Time to strike!'_ Ringo used his free hand and ran it through Blake's silky black hair. Ringo prepared himself for the worst.

Blake didn't react to it. She allowed him to keep going. Apparently, this didn't qualify as interrupting her reading.

 _'Here we go…'_ Ringo slowly, but surely began to scratch Blake's cat ears. This time, Blake did react. Her book fell from her hands. She gasped lightly.

Like he planned out, Blake started to purr affectionately. She latched onto his body and nuzzled her head onto Ringo's chest.

 _'It worked!'_ Ringo felt a bit guilty for using his teammate for his own gain but that went away when Blake purred continuously.

In all honesty, he expected it not to work. Whenever Silver tried to do it to Leia, she ended up slapping him in the face. He guessed animal traits worked differently for each faunus.

 _'She's cute when she isn't nose deep into a book.'_ Ringo thought as he scratched her ears some more. Her purring soothed his nerves greatly.

With that, Ringo and Blake slept that night, not worrying about what troubles would come to them in the upcoming days.

* * *

 **Second Author's Note: The next chapter will be Black and White. Since the first episode of Volume Two has it where it's near the end of the semester, while I'm still near the beginning, there'll be a couple of chapters to fill in the gap. I want to say about three, two, or four. I feel like I'm forgetting something but it'll come to me later so I'll edit it in. That's about it so… stay tuned.**


	9. Black and White

**Author's Note: This chapter is the darkest one yet. I skipped some of the dialogue and scenes because it would be repetitive, as we already know what happens and Ringo didn't fit in anywhere in it. The chapter is mostly Ringo centric instead of Blake. Hope it's not too big of a deal. Because of how dark it is, the next upcoming chapter will be more light hearted. I already mentioned that they'll be original chapters to fill up the time lapse before the second volume. I'll have more info of that at the bottom A/N. The chapter may also be confusing, which is why I'll fully explain it at the bottom too.**

 **Razmire: I have nothing against Sun. He's a chill dude. The purpose of his inclusion last chapter was because I believed it'd be weird if he wasn't in it once while Ringo and Blake were right there. He has his usual role in this chapter along with a little extra.** **As always, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Blaze1992: I already answered you in a PM ].**

 **Disclaimer: I should probably stop writing all these disclaimers. You all get it by now. I don't own RWBY.**

* * *

It had been over a week now since Ringo and Blake set out on their own. In all honesty, they hadn't done much over the past seven days.

To Ringo's enjoyment, the two stayed in bed for two days. He wasn't sure if Blake was really in control if her body. Nevertheless, he enjoyed having Blake laying with him while she purred. She even licked his arm a couple of times. Was it weird? Yes. Disgusting? Most definitely. Cute? Absolutely.

The following day, he decided to be productive. Apparently, Blake had no idea that two whole days have passed. That meant she really was out of it during her cat-like state. Ringo had to fess up, which led to Blake knocking him out of commission for the day.

The remaining three days were spent on both training and bonding. Blake grudgingly forgave Ringo, in exchange for a cut of his money and the bed, leaving him to having to sleep on the floor.

During their days of training, Ringo learned more about Blake's fighting style and vice versa. Ringo offered to teach Blake how to defend against his semblance. Ruby and Yang somehow were resilient against it without any trouble.

It was a simple method of escaping the Madness effects. All she needed to do was crouch down and snap her fingers close to her head. Ringo taught her how to snap out of it, so she wouldn't go insane over his semblance. That way, it wouldn't interfere in any future team missions.

It was a very difficult task. Ringo could tell her mind was clouded by several disturbing memories. It took a considerable amount of time to calm Blake down before they gave it another go. Thankfully, she got it down on the third try, saving her from any more troubling memories.

It pained him to hear her scream. It wasn't very Blake-like of her to do such a thing. She was a strong huntress-in-training. It took his former team a week to nail it down. Blake did it in two days.

Blake lifted the _'No Ringo on the bed'_ rule for those two nights. She excelled at hiding her emotions. Whatever his semblance did to her must have been strong enough to break down the strong willed Blake. It made Ringo dislike his semblance more.

During those two nights, he laid next to Blake as a sense of reassurance for her after they trained. At her request, he went back to the floor once she fell asleep. He was wide awake for those two nights and he could have sworn that he heard Blake talk in her sleep at least twice each night.

When they weren't training with his semblance, Blake was teaching him to fight better in close combat. Ringo worked better keeping his distance. When it did come down to fighting up close, Ringo sucked, plain and simple. That's why he usually avoided close up attacks, mainly because if he did fight up close it made him more vulnerable to attacks. His weakened aura didn't help on that matter either.

Ringo did his best. He wouldn't master it in just two days but he liked to think he was improving thanks to Blake.

"Hey!" A voice yelled from down below. Ringo grunted, rubbing his tired face on the floor. Blake threw a pillow at him, indirectly telling him to hush the voice up.

"Fine, fine." Ringo hastily got up and poked his head out the window. The monkey faunus was at it again. For the past week, he had gone through fourteen guesses. Each time being wrong. It seemed that he was going to give his two guesses bright and early today.

 _'I don't think he'll ever get it. He guessed banana… twice!'_ Ringo had the monkey faunus try to guess the _'secret code'_ to gain access to the treehouse. The hint was something sharp. Why he guessed banana… twice was mind boggling.

"Haha! I got it today!" The faunus puffed his chest confidently. "The secret code is… hook!"

 _'Crap… he guessed correctly.'_ Ringo hadn't put much thought into it. He liked hooks, so that was what he made the password be. Ringo pushed his frustrations to the side. He was going to keep his word.

"Correct. How did you know?" Ringo asked, genuinely curious.

The monkey faunus pointed at him. "Your shirt! It has a hook on it. It's sharp, so I put two and two together!"

 _'Dammit!'_ Ringo immediately removed his shirt and tossed it to a random direction. His shirt hit Blake in the face. Smelling his scent brought Blake to her senses.

"What's going on?" Blake rubbed her eyes, sleepily watching Ringo open the hatch. Her question was answered when the monkey faunus jumped into the treehouse.

"Neat." Ringo was mildly impressed that the monkey faunus could jump so high. He shut the hatch and relaxed on the rocking chair.

"Cool! This has to be the best treehouse that I've seen!" The monkey faunus' eyes wandered all throughout the treehouse, eventually landing solely on a sleepy Blake. "No way! You two shared a bed!?"

Thanks to Coco, Ringo was able to detect jealousy in his voice. He wasn't sure why. He hadn't considered Blake as nothing more than a teammate and he was positive that she felt the same way.

"Nah. I slept on the back aching floor," Ringo grumbled. "What's your name anyway? You can't just barge into my property without introducing yourself."

"Oh! Where are my manners!" He extended his hand out to him. "Name's Sun! As you can already tell, I'm a monkey faunus!" He wiggled his tail left and right.

"I'm Ringo. Sleeping beauty over there is Blake." Ringo shook Blake out of her dazed state. "Come greet our guest, you lazy cat."

"Blake…" Sun repeated the name, a smile spreading on his face.

"Huh?" Her eyes widened when she saw Sun waving at her. She sat up and hid her ears with the last remaining pillow. Blake glared daggers at her companion. "I thought I told you not to let him in!"

"Woah!" Ringo put his hands up in defense. "He guessed the secret password so he can visit the treehouse now! That's the rules."

"There were no rules!" Blake revealed, shocking Sun.

"You mean I spent a week thinking of the secret password for nothing!?" He gasped, feeling a bit betrayed.

"Whatever. You're in here. Happy?" Ringo laid down on the bed, groaning contentedly. The soft cushioning feeling did wonders for his back. He turned on the television and flipped through several channels.

"That's it?" Sun blinked. "I thought some cool activities were going on here. Conspiracy planning on suspicious pizza joints! All that good stuff and you're just watching television?"

"Yep." Ringo popped the 'P' sound. Blake shifted uncomfortably, not expecting the company at all.

"That's no fun! As a new member of the Treehouse Committee, I say we shall go out and get some breakfast!" Sun declared. Their responses came in the form of silence.

"Up! Up!" Sun went to go pull Blake up, but one mean glare caused him to back up. He tried to do the same with Ringo, but he was suddenly attacked from behind.

"Yeah! Get him!" Ringo rooted on for his hamster, who attacked Sun for getting too close to Ringo. As Silver Junior and Sun fought, Blake got up on her own will and stood next to Ringo.

"What are we going to do with him?" Blake asked.

Ringo stopped rocking on the rocking chair. "I dunno. We can ditch him and go train some more or something."

She shuddered. "I'd rather not train today. He had the right idea at least. We should go get some breakfast in the city."

"Fine. Whatever you say." Ringo counted how much money he had. It was one of his favorite things to do after he accumulated a wealthy amount of money from stealing and from the arcade.

 _'I love being rich~'_ Ringo sighed, throwing all his money and coins in the air. He fell on his back and did snow angels with his money.

Ringo wanted to enjoy the moment. Even when he was younger, he hadn't experienced having this much money. He usually borrowed money from Adam or someone in the White Fang in exchange for doing some of their work or being a spokesman for their protests. Having a human among the White Fang brought a lot of attention towards them.

 _'This must be how Weiss feels with her money.'_ Ringo thought, clutching a handful of money in his hands. He knew this wasn't going to last forever. He heard the saying that money doesn't buy happiness. Of course, Ringo thought it was bullshit. He was happy right now.

"You're weird…" Blake muttered.

"Oh come on! You're just jealous!" He accused her.

"I'm jealous of someone who plays with their money?"

"Hey! This money is going to buy you breakfast!" Ringo had a smug grin on his face. Blake didn't bring any money when they ran away. He had to pay for her clothes when they went clothes shopping. He didn't mind. Anything for a friend.

"I hate you, you know that, right?" Blake said, visibly annoyed with her teammate.

"I know~" Ringo patted her head. "Now go get dressed. Don't want anyone to see those cute little kitty ears, do ya?"

Blake sighed, "No…" Arguing with Ringo always led to trouble. It was early, too early for arguments. She relented, going behind the privacy shades that she put up two days ago.

"Sunny boy! We're heading out. Stop playing with Silver Junior and get ready." Ringo stared at the lab coat hanging on the shelf. A sense of excitement grew within him. Not the good kind of excitement, more so the crazy kind.

"Ooh~" Ringo seized hold of his lab coat. Just holding it stirred ferocious memories inside his head. Particularly his duels, where he triggered his opponents to near insanity.

"Are you alright?" Sun waved his hand in front of his grinning face.

"Never better!" Ringo quickly took off his shirt and replaced it with his white dress shirt. He then properly put on his tie, thanks to the tips from Weiss. The moment of truth came when he slowly slipped inside the dirty lab coat.

 _'This feeling… I feel like me again. That's not good. It's why I burned my other lab coat.'_ Ringo snapped out of it. Remembering the real reason as to why he destroyed his previously lab coat toned down his elated state.

He controlled himself rather well. It was one of his goals for the school year. To better control his semblance.

"Silver Junior, I'm going to need you to watch the treehouse again. I'll even bring you a treat for your good behavior," Ringo informed the hamster.

"Why are you talking to a hamster? Now I know you're really out of it!" Sun exclaimed. To his shock, Silver Junior glared at him.

"Careful now! Silver Junior is the nicest hamster out there. Don't hurt his feelings." He petted Silver Junior with a smile on his face.

 _'Th-the nicest!?'_ Sun sweatdropped. That hamster was far from normal and nice.

"We're leaving." Blake came out with her battle clothing on, much like Ringo. They visited a local laundromat to get their clothes and uniform cleaned up.

"I thought it was going to be just the two of us," Blake said. Sun chuckled awkwardly, feeling left out.

"We're the Treehouse Committee! We go as a unit!" Ringo and Sun high fived each other. "What's wrong with Sunny boy anyway? He doesn't bite," He teased her.

"Next time, tell me in advance." Blake hopped down the hatch. Ringo faced Sun with an apologetic look on his face.

"Don't sweat it. Blake's usually like this with new people. It'll take a while before she warms up to you." Ringo scratched his head. "Though, I'm not sure if she's fully warmed up to anyone but Ruby, Yang, and I, hehe." He laughed nervously. He excluded Weiss from the list due to her personal issues with Blake.

"Then I'll be the first one outside your little inner circle." Sun adjusted his collar, smiling confidently. He dropped down to the ground, chasing after Blake.

"He sure is… something." Ringo shook his head. "Not as weird as Penny though." He exited the treehouse, leaving Silver Junior as the caretaker of their temporary home.

* * *

When they got to the city, Sun took it upon himself to choose the location. Ringo was content with his choice of going to a local café. Blake was okay with the choice too.

They ordered what they desired and ate outside the store on the top floor. Sun and Blake were seated at a table. Ringo pulled up a chair from a nearby table to join them.

"Munch! Munch! Munch!" Ringo ate through his food viciously. His teeth were all sharpened during this. Sun and Blake eyed him weirdly as he did so.

"Is it that good?" Sun sipped on his cup of tea, which he was holding with his tail.

"Totally!" Ringo gulped down his own cup of tea in one go. He noticed that Blake still had some food left on her plate. He presented her with his best impression of puppy dog eyes.

"Just take it." Blake pushed the plate towards him. Ringo eagerly wolfed it down his throat.

"Geez. He's a weird one, am I right?" Sun directed his eyes at Blake. He wanted to leave a good impression so she would treat him better instead of giving him the cold shoulder.

Blake got defensive over Ringo. "Are you calling my teammate weird?"

Sun was taken aback. "N-no! I meant it in the good type of weird! I would never insult your teammate!" He apologized profoundly.

 _'Crap! I already messed up!'_ Sun scolded himself for his comment. He had to regain his cool somehow.

"Hehe. At least now you're talking to me directly. All you've been giving me is weird looks!" Blake's eyes sharpened at the monkey faunus. "Yeah! Like that!"

"That's Blake for you. She wouldn't talk to me for weeks because I discovered that she was a faunus!" Ringo added in, finally finished with his obnoxious eating.

It was Ringo's turn to receive the _'weird looks'_ from Blake.

"That's in the past. We're proud members of Team RRWBY. Or would it be RWY?" Ringo pondered, taking their absence into consideration.

"Wait a minute. You have five people in your team!?" Sun groaned. "No fair! Wouldn't that give you an advantage in the Vytal Festival?"

Personally, Sun thought it was unfair if they were allowed to have five people to fight. Traditionally, it had to be a four versus four. Either one of them had to sit out or the rules could be bent so the five of them could compete. It was highly unlikely though.

"I guess." Ringo shrugged. He stared into the cup in his hands. "I thought about it for a while. I don't think I'll compete in the festival if it comes down to having to have only four of us go in."

Blake's eyes widened. She looked at Ringo in disbelief.

"But you're one of the strongest and experienced fighters we have. Why would you not want to compete?" Blake questioned him seriously. Sun also listened in to hear what he had to say.

Ringo clenched the cup tighter. "I don't deserve the spot. I failed my first year. It wouldn't be fair to rob one of you girls' spot. If the four of you go in, it'd be your time to shine and show everyone in the world what you're made of. I already wasted my opportunity."

Blake looked on, worried for him. "We're talking about this again when we head back to Beacon. With everyone present." Blake believed it would be best if everyone consulted in the decision before the days approaching the Vytal Festival.

"But-"

"End of discussion," Blake asserted. Since Sun was with them, she'd rather not have this conversation with someone not on their team.

Silence fell upon the three. Sun awkwardly finished up his breakfast. He wished he hadn't brought up the Vytal Festival. It caused a rift between the Treehouse Committee.

To his surprise, Blake stared at him.

"Sun… are you familiar with the White Fang?" It was a simple question. One that Sun had no trouble in answering.

"Of course! I don't think there's a single faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them. Stupid, holier-than-thou creeps that use force to get whatever they want. Bunch of freaks, if you ask me!" He relaxed on the chair, arms behind his head.

Ringo and Blake traded glances with each other. They nodded, seemingly understanding each other without words.

"We were once members of the White Fang," They said in unison.

Sun choked on his drink. He dropped the cup from his tail and wiped his mouth with his hand.

"Wait a minute, you were a member of the White Fang?!" His questioned was directed at Ringo, rather than Blake. "B-but you're a human!"

"I was an exception," Ringo replied calmly, unlike Sun's alarmed tone.

"I know you!" Sun stood up, pointing a finger at Ringo. "I heard stories about you when I lived in Vacuo. You were that one human kid who was in the White Fang back at Vacuo! The only one who lived and protested with them!"

It clicked in Sun's head. Being from Vacuo himself, when he was younger, he heard tales of a human boy who lived amongst the White Fang. The only reason why he remembered it was because of how obscure it was.

"See that Blake, I'm pretty popular in my home kingdom." Ringo jabbed a thumb towards his chest. Blake rolled her eyes at his boastful remark.

"I was a member for most of my life. You could almost say that I was born into it…" Blake went on to tell her story to Sun. Ringo had already heard it before a couple of days ago. When she had mentioned being in every protest, Ringo didn't believe her. If it were true, then at least one of them had to have had remembered the other.

Blake was distant with her response to that, making Ringo even more suspicious. Surely, she would have remembered a human protesting if she were to have been in every rally.

Ringo looked at the view from up above. He truly was lucky to have successfully make a living in Vale. Not dying was also an accomplishment in his book. Thinking about what would've come if he hadn't been successful made him unaware of his own surroundings.

Because of this, the voices in his head spoke to him.

 _'It's a game of cat and mouse! You're the mouse!'_

 _'They're on their way! They will never leave you alone!'_

 _'They're going to take you away again! You'll meet your demise!'_

 _'Team SLVR will be no more!'_

Ringo blinked rapidly, coming back to his senses. He had come to terms that the voices in his head were usually right. It was like having a guardian of some sort. Guardian wasn't the right word, as the voices insulted him every time.

"Have you told your friends any of this?" Ringo focused back on the conversation. Sun's question made Blake hang her head in shame.

"As of right now, only Ringo knows."

"How come?"

"We know each other's secrets," She responded. Even if they didn't know _all_ of each other's secrets, the ones that they did share brought them closer together. It was the reason why they left together in the first place.

Ringo's eyes were fixated on the streets below. The feeling of being watched clouded his mind.

 _'Please don't let it be Adam.'_

* * *

"Blake!"

"Blake!"

Currently, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were walking through the town. Ruby and Yang were doing most of the yelling. Weiss stayed silent throughout the ordeal.

"Blake! Ringo! Where are you two!?"

"Ring boy!"

Ruby turned to Weiss. "Weiss, you're not helping!" She whined.

Weiss didn't pay her to mind. She was lost in her own thoughts.

The past seven days, she learned a lot about the average life of a faunus from Velvet. She understood now why some faunus' hid their identities, like Blake did.

Velvet showed her what faunus' had to go through when they walked around the school together. People were whispering behind their backs and some were looking at them with disgust. It made her feel uncomfortable, which was how Velvet felt too.

When she asked about the White Fang, Velvet didn't have much to say. She hardly knew enough about the White Fang that Weiss didn't already know. Velvet was an innocent faunus who had no interest in dealing with the White Fang at all. It made Weiss see faunus' in a new light.

She realized now that not all faunus' were automatically criminals. Not all of them supported the White Fang either. She had misjudged the whole faunus race because of her past. It was wrong of her to do so. Now she understood what Ringo and Blake were trying to tell her.

If it weren't for people who discriminated against them, the White Fang wouldn't have turned into the terrorist group that caused havoc today. That included her.

Of course, they spent the last two days searching for Ringo and Blake. They came up short. Weiss feared that they may have left for good without hearing her apology. She needed to apologize to them for her wrongful actions. Then she wouldn't feel so guilty anymore.

This all led to today. It would be their third day trying to find their missing teammates. They looked everywhere. Wherever they where, they either left or they're hiding really well. Weiss filed a complaint to Professor Ozpin about their disappearance. He only gave her a word of advice, stating to search places where Ringo would most likely be. To use the information provided by Ringo to list out suggested areas.

"Fine," Weiss huffed. "Ringo! Doctor!"

"That's more like it." Ruby had a satisfied smile on her face. It was nice seeing Weiss up and about instead of her laying on Ringo's bed all day. Whatever Velvet was doing must have done the trick.

"I'm starting to think you're only shouting for Ringo and not Blake," Yang pointed out.

"I think you should mind your own business," Weiss countered angrily.

"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today!" Penny barged in, scaring all three of them.

"Ah! Penny, where did you come from!?" Ruby shrieked.

Penny ignored her question. "Hey guys! What are you up to?" She looked at each of them, seemingly trying to find someone.

"Uhh…" Ruby was tongue tied, so Yang stepped in for her.

"We're looking for our friends, Blake and Ringo."

Penny gasped, "Oh no! Ringy and the faunus girl are with you!?"

Ruby, Yang, and Weiss stared at Penny as if she grew another head.

"Wait… how did you know that?" Ruby dared to ask.

"Uhh… the cat ears." She waved her hand around her head to the general spot of Blake's cat ears.

"What cat ears?" Yang laughed awkwardly. "She wears bo… ohhh." The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. That was why Blake never took off her bow. She was hiding her ears.

A stray tumbleweed skidded past them as they took it all in.

"She does like tuna a lot…" Ruby muttered.

"Where are they now?" Penny questioned urgently, which was unlike her usual behavior.

"We don't know. They've been missing since last Saturday."

"Right after our date!?" Penny's words caused Weiss and Yang to stop their retreat.

"Just hold on a second. Date with who?"

"Ringy!" Penny chirped. "We watched Android Love together." Weiss and Yang's jaws dropped. Ruby didn't know what the movie was. "Then we kissed all day long!" That she did know.

Another minute of silence dawned upon them, along with another tumbleweed.

Yang's eyes turned red. "That three timing, no good, little son of a-" A car honked loudly at the end of her rant. A burst of fire erupted from her.

Ruby's eyes saddened. "O-oh… so he's with you now, Penny? He found love in just one day…" Penny nodded enthusiastically, hurting her feelings even more.

"He said that he was already dating someone. If I had to guess, then it has to be… you!" Penny pointed at Weiss.

"You're telling the truth at least. Spot on," Yang said, surprising both Weiss and Ruby. "Ringo told me all about you two during our date."

"Um… surprise?" Weiss backed up as Ruby, Yang, and Penny stared at her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Blake, Ringo, and Sun were walking down an alley. Ringo had out his staff, appearing very nervous. He was behind the two, so they didn't notice.

"So, Treehouse Committee, what's the plan now?" Sun inquired in a relaxed tone.

"I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much Dust before." Blake spoke her thoughts out loud. It just didn't make sense to her.

"What if they did?" Sun came up with a theory based on their findings. "I mean... the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it, and not find them there! Right?"

Blake caught on to what he was saying. "The only thing is, I have no idea where that would be."

Sun placed a finger on his chin. "Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas," He said, recounting the memory in his mind.

"How huge?"

"Huge." Sun spread his arms out wide to emphasize the size. "Big Schnee Company freighter."

"You're sure?" Blake's bow twitched. She heard the quiet sound of something hit the ground. She quickly turned around, weapon in her hand. Blake lowered it when she saw that Ringo was no longer there. All that was left was his weapon laying on the ground.

"Blake!" Ringo muffled scream was detected thanks to her improved hearing. Sun was confused as to what was going on.

"Ringo's in trouble! We have to go find him!" Blake was in hot pursuit of the direction of his yell. She swiftly picked up his weapon and ran, Sun not too far behind.

They ran until they could spot the faintest outline of Ringo up ahead. A pair of people were dragging him along with them. They stopped and shoved him inside a truck.

"That's what medics use to transport people to the hospital!" Sun exclaimed. They managed to stop the truck before it took off.

"What are you doing with him?!" Blake hissed, not too pleased with them kidnapping her teammate.

The window rolled open, revealing someone with the basic medical clothing on. "Sorry miss, you best on leave now."

"No. Why are you taking him?" She stood her ground.

The second person rolled up their side of the window and tossed them a paper. "We've been looking for this guy for ages now. He belongs back to the mental hospital. He had no right to escape!"

 _'Escape?'_ Blake read over the paper, which had a picture of Ringo with the words, 'Missing' on it. _'Ringo… couldn't you have checked yourself out like a normal person?'_

"Mental hospital?" Sun repeated, confused. "He's not insane! Sure, he's strange but he's not crazy!"

"On the contrary. We don't have to explain it to a faunus." The man sneered. Sun's eyes narrowed at the man. "Move it!" He dropped a vial of sleeping powder on the ground and quickly rolled up the window.

The potion was strong. While it didn't make them fall asleep, it was enough to make their vision hazy and their body's tired.

The last thing Blake could make out was the truck disappearing as it drove further away from them.

* * *

Ringo couldn't figure out what was happening. One second he was walking with the Treehouse Committee, and then the next second, he was being taken away by force.

He tried to move but found himself unable to move his arms. A straight jacket was placed around him, securing his arms from doing anything other than staying in place. He wanted to call out for help, but his cries were nothing more then muffled from underneath a muzzle.

 _'Dammit. I was preparing for Adam, not these people!'_

The back door opened, revealing the two people who took him upon his own will.

"Don't worry. You'll be safe now."

"You'll be offered the best help out there." The two men grabbed his body and carried him inside the mental hospital. Ringo didn't resist, their words providing a sense of comfort in him. Though, one of his shoes slipped right out of his foot. The men either didn't notice or didn't care because they kept on moving forward and went inside.

The building appeared exquisite from the outside. The inside was no different. It was bright, not bright enough to blind him. The interior looked all metallic. There were many people in there, all wearing smiles on their faces.

"Hello there! I remember your face!" The female behind the desk said, smiling. "I hear you ran off without our permission. That wasn't very nice, now was it?"

"No," Ringo responded strangely.

"Good boy. You recognize the consequences of your actions. Don't you worry your little head over it." The woman soothed his nerves drastically. "You want help, don't you?"

"Yes…"

"Poor boy. You trust us, right?"

"Yes…"

"We're all going to help you. You'll be cured in no time. We just need you to hand over everything that you have in those pockets."

Ringo was in a trance. He dug through his pockets and pulled out his scroll, wallet, and leftovers he was saving for Silver Junior. He handed all of those things to her. She stored then in a drawer and locked it tight.

"Wonderful! You're on your way to a better life. Head to your psychiatric ward. You know where it is. I'm sure the other darlings will be glad that you've returned," The woman dismissed him. The two men pushed Ringo along to his ward.

"Wow. I'm going to get better! It'll be a miracle. Thank you, kind people! I forgot how nice everyone is here. Why did I even escape?" Ringo laughed, a little bit too overexcited.

"You're safe now. This is where you belong," The two creepily said together. Ringo didn't notice this. He observed his familiar surroundings. The feeling of comfort embedded itself within Ringo.

 _'This is where I belong…'_ Ringo grin stretched wider. He saw his ward up ahead. The two men shoved him inside and locked the door.

"Relax. We will be with you shortly." Their voices came to an end, leaving Ringo to assume that they left.

The room was all white. Everywhere he looked it was white. There was also a single mattress with pillows and a blanket. Not shockingly, it was white.

"Home…. home sweet home…." Ringo sat on the floor instead of the bed. He leaned his back against the wall, staring at the spot where the door was supposed to be.

Slowly, a field of electricity circulating around him.

* * *

"I don't see what our relationship has to do with anything. We're looking for Ringo and Blake, aren't we?" Weiss folded her arms and turned her back against them.

"It does have to do with something. You two were doing things to each other before our date!" Yang shouted.

"It's not my fault he fell for the right person!"

"And then broke up with the _'right'_ person a day after."

Yang and Weiss butted heads, fierce electricity fighting each other from their eyes.

"Girls!" Ruby got in between them. "We already lost two team members because of fighting! We can't separate ourselves even more!"

Yang was the one to back out. "She's right. I'll be the bigger person and not let a silly argument break the team apart." She started to walk away with Ruby, resuming their search for Blake.

"Hmph. I bet he didn't even want to kiss you," Weiss said loud enough for Yang to hear.

Yang stopped dead in her tracks. Ruby urged her to ignore Weiss, but was promptly ignored herself.

"What did you say?"

"We kissed plenty of times during our time together. No big deal." Weiss whistled innocently, an ulterior motive hidden in her words.

"Is that a challenge?"

The two went back to butting heads. This time around, Penny popped up from between them. How she got there was a mystery to everyone.

"You want to find him and Blake, don't you? Well, I won't rest until we find your teammates!" Penny declared.

Weiss coughed, "Uh… that's really kind of you…"

"But we're okay!" Yang jumped in, equally awkward. "Really! Right, Ruby?" Weiss and Yang glanced at their leader. Only a blinking red outline was in her place.

 _'My own sister ditched me!'_ Yang thought, feeling betrayed. _'Then again… I was going to do it first…'_

The third tumbleweed of the day ran past the three.

"It sure is windy today!" Penny said, much to Weiss and Yang's displeasure.

* * *

"Don't you care about the potential heist that could happen?"

"Saving one of my teammates is far more important than some planned heist that we aren't even sure is going to happen."

Sun did his best to convince Blake to go investigate where the large import of dust should be at. Blake was adamant in going to rescue Ringo, forcing him into having to drop the investigation and letting the White Fang go.

He knew it had to be the White Fang. Blake was refusing to believe it for whatever reason. It was plain obvious. Sun didn't dispute over it anymore, not seeing any way to get her to change her mind.

"Do you at least have an idea as to where we're heading to? We're not walking blindly, are we?" Sun questioned her technique.

"Of course I do. He mentioned before that he visited a place called, Léry's Memorial Institute. Odds are that he's there now." Blake looked around and found someone that seemed friendly.

"Excuse me sir, do you have any directions for Léry's Memorial Institute?" She asked the man.

The man's expression turned that of confusion. "That old place? It's been shut down for decades."

Blake's blood went cold. She felt chills go up her spine. "Shut down? Are you sure? My friend said-"

"You're friend said wrong." He cut her off. "Look Miss, I don't know if you're trying to pull a prank on me but you better stop." He walked away, leaving a baffled Blake and Sun to their own thoughts.

"There's no way it shut down. Ringo said he went to get checked up on there." Blake had no reason to believe that man. Ringo wouldn't have lied over something like that. Maybe he got the name wrong?

"I don't know. We should ask someone else just to be sure," Sun suggested.

They talked to three more different people, each having the same response similar to the first person. They had gotten directions from the last person they spoke to and were now heading to the supposedly shut down building.

"This is the place." Blake and Sun stood in front of a demolished building. There were no signs of human life in there whatsoever.

"See? We must have gotten the wrong place. This building really has been shut down for decades," Sun told her, inspecting the nearby rubble.

"I still want to look," Blake insisted. She wasn't losing hope just yet. So the two faunus' checked wherever they could. They could only check the front portion of the building as the back portion was mostly all rubble.

"Nothing. Maybe we should ask if there are any other mental hospitals around this town." Sun gave up after an hour of searching. There was nothing they could do except to actually lift up the rubble. He doubted that Ringo was trapped underneath it.

"You're right. Let's go." Losing hope, Blake was about to leave the area until something caught her eye.

There was a shoe poking out beneath a pile of the material. Not just any shoe.

It was Ringo's shoe.

She recognized the shoe. It was the same one that he bought during their shopping adventure. Blake recalled how much he complained about the pricing. The only reason why he bought it was because it _'matched his outfit.'_

"This is Ringo's shoe!" Blake dug through the rubble to retrieve the shoe. Sure enough, it was the exact one.

"His shoe?"

"Yes. That means he's here. Question is, where? This building has been destroyed," Blake sighed, frustrated at the predicament at hand.

 _'It's like there's some kind of parallel phenomenon going on here. But that's only in stories. It can't really happen.'_ Blake concluded in her head. She was good at problem solving on her own. This problem was too big for her and Sun to handle. They needed help.

 _'I'm not ready to talk to them… no. Ringo needs help. I have to put my differences aside. He would've done the same thing if he were in my shoes.'_

"This isn't going anywhere. No one will come here. Let's go check out that dust freighter first and then…" She paused. "Then I'll ask my friends for help."

"You sure you're ready?" Sun asked her worriedly.

"I have to be ready. Or else, we may never find Ringo again." Blake departed from the area. She glanced back. She could've swore that for a second, her eyes saw a big building. She blinked, the rubble replacing the building once more.

"Hmm…" Blake hummed, a plan formulating in her mind as she and Sun left.

* * *

Ringo wasn't sure how much time passed since he returned to his isolated chamber. When the door opened, he saw the nice lady standing there.

"Out you go. It's time for supper and your friends are waiting! Come! Come!" She stepped inside the electricity filled room without any harm and ushered him out the door.

They reached the cafeteria. It was packed, full of patients just like him. He spotted a couple of familiar faces waving at him.

"Ringo! We thought you were gone for good!" A male teen around the same age as Ringo called out to him. He had skin decaying from his face. His teeth could be seen right through his cheek.

"Yeah! You had us worried sick!" A female teen added in. Her hands were covered in a thick bundle of bandages. She constantly rubbed it against her neck, which was scarred with marks.

A younger teen merely nodded his head. He had a blindfold covering his eyes, indicating that he was blind.

"Hey guys! Where's Emerald?" Ringo questioned as he sat down with his friends. No one said a word. They stared at him strangely. "Did she get checked out? Or maybe she escaped too?"

They continued not to say anything. Everyone in the cafeteria went dead silent. All eyes were on Ringo. He brushed them off, more interested in getting an answer.

"Hehe. Guess it doesn't matter. Anyway, how's everyone doing?" Chatter filled amongst the cafeteria again once he switched topics.

"Same old, same old. He still has those urges." The guy with the decaying skin pointed at the one with the blindfold. The blindfolded guy chomped on his thumb, nibbling on his own flesh. Blood spewed from his thumb.

"She still can't shake off her obsession over her old boyfriend." The girl twitched violently.

"H-he's all mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" She laughed maniacally, trying harder to scratched through her neck.

"And I still… well I forget why I'm here. Guess I like it here. It's better than the outside world, where everyone ridicules you. In here, we're all family." He smiled sinisterly.

"To family!" Everyone cried out.

"Anyway." The three stared at Ringo. "What about you? Refresh my mind, what are you in here for again?"

Ringo rubbed his chin in thought. "Pretty sure it's for paranoia and Multiple Personality Disorder. I could be wrong."

"Not sure about that. You're the sane one out of all of us! And you're the only Ringo inside of you." The older male teen noted.

"Enough of that. Let's eat!" Ringo rushed over to the empty line, grabbing a tray and examining the food. He cringed at the sight.

There was only human organs waiting to be eaten. He dropped the tray and backed up, feeling himself about to puke. The sight of the organs being dipped in a fresh coat of blood was too much for him.

"What's wrong?" The female tilted her head sideways. "Are you not a fan of _'fresh'_ meat?" The way she said it made Ringo uncomfortable.

"Our friend here is having a feast." Ringo's stomach churned. He held back the urge to throw back right there, swallowing it painfully. His blindfolded friend was digging through a pile of intestines. The sound of teeth grinding deep inside the human organ rang through his ears.

"Eh… th-that's alright. I'm not hungry." Ringo had beads of sweat drip down his head.

"Everyone's required to eat, my friend. Here, have an eye. Blue ones are my favorite!" He flicked a human eye at Ringo. Ringo dodged it.

"Guys, we have a misbehaving patient." His three friends no longer greeted him with friendly smiles. Their faces morphed into ones of pure anger. Soon, everyone was up and approaching Ringo.

 _'Sh-shit! Now I remember why I left! These people are insane! No wonder Emerald told me to get the hell out of here!'_

Ringo let out a frightened cry and ran out of the cafeteria. He heard a herd of footsteps follow him at an alarming rate. It only motivated him to go faster.

He passed by several others of the medical staff. They tried to reach out to him, Ringo narrowly avoiding their bloody hands. The horde of people following him increased during his retreat to his ward.

"Dear me, child. What have you gotten yourself into?" The lady from the front desk stood at the front of his ward.

"Th-they're trying to hurt me!" Ringo exclaimed, tears flowing down his eyes. The lady wrapped him in a quick hug and led him straight to a hidden area.

"Quick! Hide in here child. No one will find you." She hid him under a desk. Ringo's body trembled, his eyes glued on her face.

"Wh-why are you helping me?" He asked in a shaky tone.

The lady had a genuine smile on her face. "I hear your a friend of Emerald." The sounds of the angry mob became more audible. "Stay here. I'll come back when it's safe." She hurriedly headed back to tend to the angry group of people.

Ringo remained curled up under the desk, desperately pleading anyone in the planet to come and save him.

* * *

Ruby, Penny, Blake, and Sun were sitting on boxes of crates. They were at the docks. They had a gruelling battle against Roman and the White Fang. Initially, it was Blake and Sun versus the White Fang. Then Ruby and Penny joined the fray. Together, they put an end to the White Fang's plans.

Now a couple of police cars were around the area. After they were finished with their questioning, they just sat doing nothing.

"Blake, I'm glad you're safe but where's Ringo? D-did he…? Ruby stopped herself. She shook her head, dispelling any negative thoughts of the fate of her teammate.

"No. No, nothing too lethal," Blake reassured her.

"Nothing lethal? The dude got kidnapped!" Sun blurted out, much to Blake's ire.

"Kidnapped!?" Ruby and Penny cried out at once. A million thoughts raced through their heads. They had no time to further question their teammate as Yang and Weiss came to the scene.

Ruby got back on her seat and tried to explain the situation. "Look Weiss, it's not what you think, she explained the whole thing. See, she doesn't actually have a bow, she has kitty ears and they're actually kind of cute..."

Weiss brushed past her. Her eyes were focused on Blake only. "Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with the-"

"Where is he?" Weiss interrupted her. Blake blinked slowly, offended that she did so in the middle of her explanation.

"Excuse me?"

"Where is he?!" Weiss repeated more loudly.

"Don't you care that I'm-"

"That's just it. I don't care!" Weiss shouted. "After a week of searching, I had plenty of time to decide. I learned more about faunus culture and the White Fang from one of Ringo's friends. I wanted to fix my mistakes so I decided I don't care."

Blake reeled back from her shock. "You don't care?"

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No," Blake clarified for her. "I-I haven't been since I was younger-"

"Ah-bah-bah-bah-bah! I don't want to hear it." Weiss put her hand out forward, silencing her. "All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up... you'll come to your teammates. And not some…" She looked at Sun. "Someone else."

Blake looked at both Ruby and Yang. They grinned, silently telling her that she was telling the truth. Blake wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye.

"Of course." Hearing the response made Weiss smile and nod.

Ruby's face saddened. "It isn't the same without Ringo. Team RRWBY still isn't back together." Yang patted her shoulder.

"You're safe and sound Blake, which is why I asked for Ringo. Where is he?" Weiss inquired, Ruby and Yang following on to her question.

Blake and Sun exchanged wary glances. She sighed heavily. "He got kidnapped." Blake went on to explain everything. From the moment he got taken to the visit they made to the broken down building, and the shoe she found that belonged to him.

"After we investigated this heist, we planned to call you three and get help," Blake finished, staring at the shoe in her hands.

"He's really gone then?" Yang clenched her fists tightly.

"No. He has to be there. We just don't know how to get to him." Blake bit her lip, wonderfully how in the world they were going to find their teammate.

Weiss motioned everyone to get up. "Then let's go find him! There's no time to waste!" She yanked Ruby up, almost causing the poor girl to fall. "I'm still not quite sure about how I feel about you, but we need all the help we can muster." Weiss said to Sun, the latter laughing nervously.

"Wait a minute. Where's Penny?" Everyone looked around, finding no trace of the strange orange haired girl.

"I'm sure she's fine! Move it!" Weiss pushed the four forward, forcing them to run.

It took nearly half an hour to reach the location. Thanks to Blake's useful directions, they managed to arrive there safely.

Blake and Sun stifled once they came back to the area.

"I-It's… whaaat!?" Sun screamed in disbelief. Léry's Memorial Institute was standing right in front of them, no longer in ruins. The logo on the front was enough proof that it was the right building.

"H-how!?" In a rare moment, Blake raised her voice too. They explored this place for an hour! It was impossible that they missed a huge building.

"Liars. Stop pretending to be surprised." Amused, Ruby playfully hit Blake's unmoving form.

"No! There was nothing there! We asked everyone on the block! Everyone said it's been shut down for years!" Sun couldn't believe it. His head was swirling madly. He felt as if he could faint at any moment.

"It doesn't matter what you two saw. It's here and we need to find him." Weiss took the lead and entered the building first, everyone else following in suit.

The building was empty. It was silent, but the lights were still on. No one was anywhere to be seen.

"Geez. This place is more deserted than the Mojave Wasteland," Sun commented. He grinned when Yang giggled, understanding his joke.

Weiss went up to the front desk and tapped her hand on the bell. "Excuse me! Anyone here?"

No response.

"Isn't it a bit weird that we're in a building where crazy people live in?" Yang smirked deviously behind her unsuspecting sister. She put her hands on her shoulders. "Boo!"

"Ahh!" Ruby turned around and punched Yang's jaw. Yang grimaced and punched her back, the two getting into one of their sisterly brawls.

"Are they always like this?" Sun questioned.

"They're sisters. It's what they do," Blake replied.

"I wouldn't say that." Weiss stopped ringing the bell. She jumped over the front desk and began to search the drawers. Sure enough, another set of clues came their way.

"Aha! Here's his scroll, his wallet, and his… biscuit?" Weiss let go of the greasy biscuit, although keeping the wallet and scroll in her pockets.

"That's for his bratty hamster," Sun grumbled, not forgetting about his growing rivalry with Silver Junior.

"This proves he's in this very building. We have to explore this place by ourselves."

"Right!" The five stayed together as a group just to be on the safe side. They first checked the rooms to see if Ringo was in one of them.

At the fourth door, Sun opened it and gasped at all the electricity in it.

"Sweet mother of pearl!" Sun yelped, jumping out of harm's way.

"Is this Ringo's…?" Ruby stepped inside, not feeling anything. Then Yang did it with the same results. Blake went in too, feeling a slight pain enter her head. She controlled the pain, shaking it off with no after effects.

"Hehe, ladies first." Sun gestured her to go in first, like the kind gentleman he was.

"Weirdo." As soon as Weiss placed one foot inside, she screamed. The scream startled everyone.

"Weiss! Are you alright!?" Ruby rushed over to check on her partner.

Weiss clutched her head in pain. "This is Ringo's work. It's the only type of electricity that frightens me," She admitted, accepting Ruby's assistance.

"She's right." Blake nodded. "Ringo told me that you two." She pointed at Ruby and Yang. "Don't feel a thing. While we were away, he taught me how to resist it. Weiss and Sun don't have any sort of resistance against it."

"Yes I do!" Wanting to prove himself, Sun ran inside. A scream was heard and he immediately came back out. "N-no I don't!"

Blake rolled her eyes. She returned inside the room, coming back a minute later empty handed.

They went to the cafeteria next, unknowingly not expecting what was to come to them.

Immediately, they smelled something awful. They instinctively covered their noses, faces twisted in disgust.

"What is that smell?" Ruby tightly covered her nose.

"It's coming from there." Yang volunteered to go check it out. She cautiously approached the area where food was usually served.

 _'O-oh god!'_ Yang nearly threw up her breakfast. Seeing what was inside… it was nauseating. She quickly regrouped with the others, badgering them to move away.

"What is it?" Curiously, Ruby wanted to go check it out, but Yang pulled her back by the hood. "B-but Yang!" One stern gaze from her older sister told Ruby that she was serious about this, so she backed down.

"If you're sure about this, then we should go search someplace else."

* * *

It had to have been hours now. Ringo continued hiding underneath the desk, scared for his life. He waited for the nice lady to come back, to come save his life.

He heard voices from afar. He believed them to be the ones after him. Ringo clasped his hands over his mouth, trying to not let any noise out.

"Dear, child! It's me. Are you still here?" The lady's voice made his heart soar. Ringo came out of his hiding spot and hugged her.

"Poor child. You're safe now." The woman gently caressed his hair, calming down his frightened senses. "Do you know why you're here?"

Ringo lurched his head back so that he could look her in the eye. He shook his head.

"You're here because she wanted to see you one last time."

"Wh-who?"

"Your friend." The woman smiled. "Not those other friends, the ones that want to hurt you. Your true friend. The one that brought you here all those years ago."

Ringo knew the answer. "E-emerald? But she's not here. No one wanted to tell me where she is."

The woman hugged him tighter. "I wouldn't be sure about that. She my be closer than you think."

"Huh?" Ringo was dumbfounded by her words. The voices from afar grew louder. He clung onto the woman again.

"Do not fear. Those people aren't your enemies. They're your new friends." She gave him a little push. "Go to them. You do not belong here as of now."

"B-but-"

"I'll be behind you the whole time. Just go." Trusting her, Ringo slowly moved forward. His pace went from walking to running. He could hear his friends. Ruby, Blake, Yang, and even Sun.

Ringo saw Weiss up ahead. Not holding back his tears, he tackled her to the ground.

"Who just…" Weiss discovered that it was Ringo who was on her and let out a relieved sigh. "Guys! He's right here!"

It was then that she noticed that he was crying. Her confusion was halted once everyone came to the scene.

"This place is an actual living nightmare. What did this place do to him?"

Despite his visible tears leaking down his face, everyone was glad that he was safe.

Or was he?

* * *

From outside the building, a mint green haired girl was staring at the building.

"You did good, Emerald. You broke him. It's a start. Soon, we'll destroy his mind so much that he'll be a measly pawn for those White Fang mutts." A woman with short black hair praised the girl.

"What's the White Fang want with him anyway? He's just a human," A guy with silver hair scoffed.

"All will be answered soon. Let's just say, there's a bull wanting a to reunite with his precious experiment!" She laughed darkly.

The girl could only look on, dreaded for what's to come in the upcoming months.

 _'Sorry… Ringo.'_

* * *

 **Long Second Author's Note: That wraps up Volume One of RWBY. So I might as well clear up any confusion anyone can had during this chapter.**

 **Emerald used her semblance to make Blake and Sun see a destroyed building instead of the real one. When they asked about it, people said it was shut down, not destroyed. Emerald also used her semblance to mask her, Mercury, and Cinder's identity when they first kidnapped him, Mercury and Cinder being the two kidnappers and Emerald being the lady at the front desk. Emerald made everyone Ringo encountered in the building an illusion. Emerald's semblance is stronger, thanks to Ringo, which'll be explained later on.**

 **That's about it. I somehow fitted Emerald into Ringo's backstory. As for the upcoming chapters, they'll be more light hearted. This chapter will be one of the few darker chapters in this fanfic. I settled on three chapters before Volume Two. One to focus on Team RWBY and the aftermath of this chapter, one to focus on Team JNPR to give them more of the spotlight, and one on Team CFVY, for the anticipated interaction between Ringo and Coco. With that, stay tuned.**


	10. Battle Woes

**Author's Note: I got done with this a day early so I decided to release it a day early. It focuses on Team JNPR and duels. There's a bit of the actual development of forming the harem itself but not as much, only a little. Ringo may seem overpowered in this, so I might as well come out with a tiny spoiler and say he's not on Pyrrha's level. I've been holding back on editing chapter eight so I might as well get to it. As usual enjoy the chapter.**

 **razmire: Whenever I think mental hospital, the first thing that pops in my head is this game called Twisted Metal Black. It's a solitary, but everyone is insane in some way so it fits in. I don't recommend checking it out if you're disturbed by gorey stuff, it messed me up as a child playing it haha. As for Emerald, she pretty much a shoe in for the harem so yeah.**

 **Titaniumfist3: Thanks! It's one of my favorite games to play so I thought it'd be nice to include it in the fanfic.**

 **Blaze1992: Honestly, I don't know either, haha :P. This chapter is not as dark so it might better suit ya.**

* * *

It was the following morning. It was the start of a new week. The weekend was over. All students were attending classes. All except Ringo and Blake.

After finding him last night, he hadn't said a word. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang brought him back to Beacon while Blake and Sun went to retrieve his more important items from the treehouse. That included his money, the clothes he bought, the television, and Silver Junior.

From the looks of it, anyone could figure out that Ringo hadn't slept a wink. He just laid there, staring at the wall.

Blake volunteered to be the one who looked after him. Given his mental state, they had to make sure he didn't do anything drastic while no one was there. Since she already missed a week of school, she was assigned a weeks worth of assignments. Ringo was also assigned the same assignments but Blake opted to do his work as an apology for not being there sooner.

Then two weeks passed and still no results. By now, Blake went back to attending classes. She had made up everything for her and Ringo. She was the one who forced Ringo to go to classes.

It worked for the most part. He was up at least. He didn't sleep in class either, so that was a plus. The only downside was that now he relied on Blake for everything.

Ringo only listened to Blake. She wasn't sure why he ignored Ruby, Weiss, and Yang, seeing how he was closer to them. She guessed it must have been something with them spending the week alone with each other, then the time she spent watching over him while the others were in class.

It was simple things at first. They read with each other, ate in their dorm, and paired up during classes. They usually spoke few words. Blake was secretly glad that she was on Ringo good side since he was actually talking to her. He didn't say much but it was something. He hadn't talked to the others at all.

Blake enjoyed it at first. It was nice to have a reading buddy. They sat right next to each other and shared a book. She discovered that they read at the same pace, so whenever she was finished with a page she went on to the next knowing that he was done too.

Having someone around who was as quiet as her was a nice change of pace. Then it went south real fast.

Her teammates, particularly Weiss, were miffed that Ringo only responded to Blake. Weiss often shot them jealous glares. They still spoke to her, but not as much as before. Blake rolled with it for a while, preferring Ringo's company.

Then it happened yesterday. It was on a relaxing Sunday evening. Team RRWBY were doing nothing in their dorm. Ruby was dozing off after having a sugar rush. Yang was asleep with her scroll on her face. Weiss was finishing up homework, being the only one other than Blake who actually did it.

Ringo and Blake sat on his bed, reading one of the novels that Blake grabbed from his treehouse. Ringo was having trouble holding his end of the book. Blake noticed that the book was shaking from his end and got fed up with it.

"What's wrong with… you?" Just as she said that, Ringo's back hit the bed. She was worried until she realized that he was just sleeping.

"Finally." Weiss closed her textbooks and got up. Blake placed a blanket over Ringo and stored the book in a safe place. She looked on as Weiss approached him.

Weiss got on the bed and laid down with Ringo. She wrapped her arms around his back and snuggled her face into his back tightly.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Weiss' response was muffled due to her face being pressed against his back.

"Stop it. He needs rest. What will he say when he wakes up to you with him?" Weiss continued to ignore Blake, much to her dismay. "Weiss, I'm being serious. Aren't you listening to m-"

"Why do you care?!" Weiss snapped. "You're not the one who likes him!" She buried her face back on Ringo's form.

Weiss' words made Blake flinch. She replayed them over and over, remembering every second she spent with Ringo. Her eyes widened in realization, but she quickly shook it off, believing it to be false.

 _'I don't like him. I just like him as a friend. I'm there for him. He only wants to be around me, so that justifies my case.'_ Blake stared at Ringo's face, identifying the exhaustion on it.

 _'I can't let Weiss ruin his recovery. It's partly my fault for thinking that there was no mental hospital. I could've saved him sooner and prevented all of this. Whatever happened in there messed him up.'_

Blake blamed herself for what happened to Ringo. She was so sure that there wasn't a building. Even Sun, who was with her, didn't see one either. They must have gotten the directions wrong. It was the only logical answer she could think of. Now it was her responsibility to support him.

Blake would like to think she's been doing a great job. Ringo's grown attached to her. That meant it was working. It was her job to keep it that way. Even if it meant pushing the heiress away.

So Blake slipped in the covers with them.

While Weiss hogged his backside, Blake laid right next to his front. Of course, Weiss protested against this immediately.

"What are you doing!? This is my spot!" Weiss whispered in a hush tone, attempting to control her anger.

"Since you don't want to listen, I have to do this, Weiss," Blake said calmly.

"Weiss…" Ringo mumbled in his sleep. "Come here…" His arms dangled around Blake's waist to pull her in closer. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before resuming his light snoring.

"Hey! That was my kiss!" Weiss grew a little louder.

Blake froze. Her pupils dilated considerably as she was pressed further into Ringo's neck. Her heartbeat increased rapidly. An odd warm sensation spread through her chest. Her ears twitched, tickling Ringo's face.

"Blake! You had your fun. I'll stop if you do," Weiss pleaded. Unfortunately for her, Blake didn't pay her to mind. She remained in her spot. "Fine. Just for tonight." Weiss had no choice but to give in. It was Blake. She doubted she'd try anything anyway.

The following morning, which is today, Blake woke up early in order to escape his hold before the others noticed.

This was the downside. Because of how much time she was with Ringo, she slowly began to think of him as something more. It made her shudder just thinking about it. The last relationship she had was with Adam. Even if it was one sided, a silly crush at most. Blake admired Adam a lot. That was, until she saw who he truly was.

When Blake finished dressing in her uniform, she shook Weiss up. The heiress merely raised her head before returning back down.

"Ringo still hasn't forgiven you. You never apologized either. I believe it's best if you get up now," Blake insisted.

"That's just it. Today's the day I'll make it up to him. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to stay here longer." Weiss took over Blake's empty spot, enjoying getting the same treatment.

The cat was already out of the bag. Everyone on the team knew about their hidden romance. Weiss had no reason to be sneaky anymore. If anything, she had to make sure no one tried to steal Ringo from under her nose.

Blake's eyes narrowed at the heiress. Regardless, she left the dorm to go get some breakfast.

Weiss felt Ringo begin to stir. When he did open his eyes, he was met with Weiss' smiling face. She kissed him tenderly on the lips, moaning lightly when Ringo returned it.

 _'Wait a minute…'_ Ringo blinked, coming back to his senses. He backed out of the kiss and pressed his back on the wall. He glared at her, refusing to speak.

"Oh come on. Blake forgave me! Why won't you?" Weiss waited for him to give her an answer. He didn't. "You still think I'm unfaithful, right?" Ringo nodded. "I changed! I changed for you! I even made friends with Velvet!"

Ringo's eyes widened in surprise. Weiss noticed this, finding hope that he may forgive her.

"She taught me everything there is to the faunus life. I learned the error of my ways! I promise I won't ever discriminate faunus' and only hate the White Fang for who they are now. Please Ringo…" Her eyes moistened, expressing her eternal regret.

Ringo raised his hand, only lifting up a pinky.

"A pinky promise? How childish can you get?" Ringo's glare returned. "Fine. Fine. There." She wrapped her pinky around Ringo's, her promise now secure.

Ringo got up and headed for the bathroom. Weiss sat up and sighed.

"Right… I need to build your trust back," Weiss groaned, sprawling on the bed.

She didn't know why, but Ringo brought out a different side of her. The more affectionate side that greatly overcame her formal side. Her whole life, she developed a icy heart from the way her childhood shaped out to be. Her father neglected her, the White Fang terrorizing the people close to her, all these things led to Weiss being more cold towards strangers.

But with Ringo, he somehow found a way to get her to open her up. For that, she was grateful. She was grateful that she had someone who cared for her and vice versa. All that pent up emotion was gifted for Ringo. Weiss thought it was strange to feel this way, though she didn't complain. It was a good kind of feeling.

With that, Weiss got ready for the day.

* * *

Team RRWBY were in dueling class with Professor Goodwitch. Weiss had her usual battle clothing on. She stayed close to Ringo as class went on.

"To prepare for the upcoming Vytal Festival, each team will practice in the tournament's format," Professor Goodwitch announced. "That means team versus team, pair versus pair, and the classic two person duel. I already assigned the duels for today."

Professor Goodwitch listed off which teams will be facing each other. Then it came to Team RRWBY and JNPR left.

"Ren and Nora, you two will face against Blake and Yang." Nora squealed happily, hugging a neutral face Ren. Yang and Blake shared a fist pump.

Nora begged the headmaster for weeks to be transferred to their class. Ozpin finally gave in, taking into account that their team needed to be together if they wanted to get some practice for the festival done.

"Ruby." Ruby's face brightened. "You'll be up against Pyrrha." Her face fell dramatically while Pyrrha smiled.

"Awww! Not the invincible girl!" Ruby whined, amusing Pyrrha.

 _'Might as well get ready to watch their fights.'_ Ringo expected Professor Goodwitch to leave him out like she always did. He hadn't had a match since Cardin, and that was an entire month ago.

"Jaune." Jaune grinned, looking at Weiss. He knew that Goodwitch rarely called on Ringo too. His opponent was sure to be Weiss. This was his chance to get a few words in to her. "Your opponent is… Ringo."

"What!?" Both Ringo and Jaune shouted in unison. Jaune nearly fainted. Ringo appeared happy for the first time in a while.

"Ah. So he speaks again." Professor Goodwitch rolled her eyes. "Yes. Miss Schnee, I hope you don't mind sitting out for this."

"No ma'am!" Weiss was eager to watch Ringo back in action. If it meant giving up one day of training then so be it. Blake told her and the team that Ringo didn't want participate in the Vytal Festival. Getting into the spirit should change that.

"Good, because your match is up first, Mr. Yin, Mr. Arc," Professor Goodwitch beckoned them to the stage. Ringo headed for the stage. Jaune still hadn't moved, so Pyrrha and Ren assisted him to the stage.

 _'I need to let it all out. I was hoping for Ren. Jaune should be fine. I need to remember to hold back just a smidge.'_

Ringo had his staff ready in his hands. He let out a few shots of electricity from the end of the staff, hitting the ceiling. Satisfied, Ringo sent Jaune a challenging smirk.

Jaune gulped. He shakily gripped his sword and shield, remembering all the tips he received from Pyrrha.

 _'O-okay. Pyrrha said that Ringo's main weakness is his hand to hand combat. If I can get close and attack relentlessly, then I can outmatch him.'_ Jaune went over his strategy in his head.

"You may begin… now!"

Ringo went in on Jaune with his staff at hand. This caught Jaune off guard, expecting him to use his lightning. He raised his shield in time, blocking his attack.

Ringo turned his whole body around and lowered himself to sweep Jaune's legs. Jaune fell on his back, taking in the blow as Ringo stomped his chest with both feet. Thanks to his armor, the pain was lessened.

Ringo tossed his staff in the air muck like a baton. The staff, aka Vinny, rotated multiple times, shooting bursts of electricity all over the stage.

Unlike his semblance, this electricity hurt… a lot. Jaune quickly regained his footing and managed to find a spot where there wasn't electricity.

"Is it…?" Jaune poked the electricity in front of him. "Youch!" He jumped, holding his hand to his chest.

"Really Jaune?" Pyrrha disapproved of his actions. She looked up at the hologram screen. Both of their aura levels remained the same, albeit Jaune's being a little lower but not by that much.

"Aren't you going to use your semblance on me?" Jaune questioned his opponent. Ringo thought about it, then shook his head. "Oh thank goodness!"

Jaune had no interest in becoming a shaking mess like Cardin. The electricity cleared up. Jaune got back motivation. He might actually get the win if it's up close battles that Ringo wanted.

That's what he did. Jaune sprinted towards Ringo, sword ready to strike. He struck at Ringo's shoulder blade, but ended up missing when he rolled out of the way. Jaune was too caught up in his momentum and staggered.

Ringo saw the opportunity and took it. He pushed his foot right on Jaune's right calf hard. Jaune let out a cry and dropped on one knee. Ringo leapfrogged over Jaune's back, hitting Jaune's jaw with his staff. Jaune was sent flying backward as a result.

"Yeah! You got this Ringoooo!" Ruby cheered on her teammate.

"No! Jaune, don't let him break your legs!" Nora cried out worriedly.

"I'm trying not too!" Jaune said.

"Remember what we did during training!" Pyrrha reminded him.

 _'During training? Oh! That's right! Look for an opening!'_ Jaune pretended to be hurt, laying down unresponsive. As planned, Ringo fell for it and went in to attack.

 _'Aaannd… now!'_ Jaune rolled his body behind Ringo. He flung his shield at Ringo's face when he turned to him, momentarily stunning him.

"Have this!" Jaune kicked his gut and then followed up by using his shield as a battering ram to put Ringo down.

Ringo's body skidded back. He got back up but was met by a flurry of attacks from Jaune. To his credit, Ringo kept up with him, blocking each attack with the middle of his staff. Since he had both hands on Vinny, using it as a shield in front of his chest, Jaune stomped on his shoe.

Ringo winced in pain. He did a backflip to distance himself from Jaune. He transformed Vinny into its dual wield pistol form and shot a couple of bolts of electricity at Jaune.

 _'Shit! I forgot to switch the bullets!'_ Ringo was hoping for actual bullets, instead receiving bullets of electricity. Jaune easily parried all the jolts with his sword.

"Should've used your semblance!" Jaune gave him no chance to change his bullets. He kicked away his guns, leaving Ringo weaponless.

"Wow! Jaune's really improving!" Yang complimented.

"He sure is," Pyrrha said with a proud face. "Plus, he and Ringo trained not too long ago too."

"They did?" Ren asked, not knowing this.

"Yes. I had to finish up a load of assignments so Ringo volunteered to coach him," Pyrrha replied, smiling.

"Aw what! He actually talked to you?" Yang became slightly annoyed when Pyrrha nodded. He was willing to talk to her but not his own teammates?

"We talk too." Blake added in, eyes focused on the duel.

"No fair!"

Meanwhile, Jaune believed that he had Ringo cornered. He checked his aura with his scroll. He was just above half. This proved to be his downfall.

When he looked up, Ringo was right in front of him. He poked him in the eye, causing Jaune to drop his scroll. Ringo punched Jaune's in the stomach and pinned his arm behind his back.

Ringo gave Jaune a taste of his own medicine by kicking Jaune's sword out of his hands. He flipped Jaune over, gaining his shield in the process.

When Jaune got back to his feet, Ringo threw his shield at Jaune's left calf again. With his opponent distracted, Ringo uppercutted his jaw, sending him high up in the air.

Ringo jumped to reach Jaune's body and had both feet on Jaune's left leg. The added forced drove Jaune down fast, his left leg being squashed under Ringo's weight.

"Gah!" Jaune clutched his injured left leg, already sustaining damages on his calf.

Ringo hurriedly retrieved his weapon and shifted back into its staff form. He slammed the bottom of it on the stage. A trail of electricity burst from the stage and went forward until it reached Jaune, electrocuting his down form.

The electricity made Jaune's body jump up. Ringo capitalized on this by shoving his staff onto his stomach, sending more volts of electrical into him.

Jaune's body laid on the ground twitching frequently. His blonde hair was standing all the way up. He muttered some random gibberish with a goofy smile on his face.

"Jaune's aura has dropped to red! This duel is over!" Professor Goodwitch ended the match, declaring Ringo as the victor.

"Yeah!" Ruby and Yang roared loudly at his victory. Weiss and Blake clapped politely.

Ringo walked over to Jaune and tapped his staff on him. The electricity around Jaune transferred back over to his staff. He hopped down the stage to join the others. His eyes locked on to Pyrrha's when they passed each other.

From Ruby's view, he whispered something to Pyrrha. Whatever it was made Pyrrha freeze. She cocked her head back and glared at the retreating victor.

"Blake, Yang, Lie Ren, and Nora, your match is next." Professor Goodwitch announced the next match.

"Good luck." Ringo patted Blake's shoulder. She nodded in response and went up the stage with Yang.

The battles throughout the day went by smoothly. It was a close one between Yang and Blake against Ren and Nora. Team RRWBY came out on top in the end, further cementing their winning streak.

That streak came to an end once Ruby and Pyrrha squared up. Pyrrha was able to dominate Ruby for most of the time. Ruby did have a little momentum going on towards the end. However, the results were in favor of Pyrrha anyway.

Lunch rolled around soon after. Team RRWBY were all present for lunch today. They sat with Team JNPR, discussing their battles.

"We totally kicked your butts. Two on one lead isn't so bad," Yang bragged, elated by the outcomes.

"Woo…" Ruby wasn't as happy as before. She ruined their winning streak. Granted, while it was against the invincible girl, it still stung.

Ringo ruffled her hair a bit, smiling warmly at his leader. Ruby couldn't help but return the gesture, feeling better that no one on the team minded the loss.

"Jaune had Ring boy cornered too!" Nora chimed in.

"Hey! Only I get to call him that!" Yang yelled. Nora whistled, avoiding her eye. Now she was going to stick with the name because it made Yang mad.

"That's because he never used his semblance," Weiss pointed out, hurting Jaune's pride.

"Jaune never used his either, Ice Queen!" Nora giggled, catching the tick mark appear on Weiss' forehead.

"Ice Queen?"

"That's the perfect nickname for you! Ice Queen!" Ruby joined Nora in teasing the heiress. "Your heart is as cold as ice!"

"No it is not! Doctor, back me up!" Weiss turned to Ringo for assistance. Luck wasn't on her side during this argument. Ringo was busy reading with Blake.

"The bookworms are together again!"

"When did Ringo start reading? I haven't seen him read any of the textbook reading in class," Ren said, ignoring Nora poking his sides obnoxiously.

"They've been at it since they returned from their little adventure. Every time I see those two together, they're always reading something," Yang answered. She got curious as to what they were reading.

"Yoinks!" Yang snatched the book from their hands. Rather than two pages filled with boring words, her eyes saw pictures and speech bubbles. "You're reading Camp Camp, the comic? And you were hiding it inside this book?"

Blake's cheeks tinged pink, embarrassed from being caught reading a comic. Ringo took the book and comic back and continued off reading from where he left off on.

"Ringo said it was a good read." Was all that Blake said.

"Ooh! I hope we do team battles tomorrow!" Ruby deflated. "But then someone has to sit out again…"

Ringo raised his hand up in the middle of his reading, volunteering to be the lone one out.

"In that case. I wanna face Ring boy!" Nora flicked a pea at his face.

"Huh? Why?" Jaune was confused. Nora never showed interest in Ringo. Why now?

"Out of everyone on that team, he's the easiest!" Nora dropped the bombshell, causing everyone's jaws to drop.

A dark aura surrounded Ringo. He gently put the comic book down and glared daggers at Nora. He was met with another pea to the face.

"Nora, you shouldn't make statements like that." Ren tried to ease the tension.

"But it's true!" Both Nora and Ringo stood up from their seats. "If you're not chicken, you'll accept my challenge."

The two spit on their hands and clasped them over the other. The others thought it was disgusting. Ringo and Nora believed it as a honorable agreement.

* * *

It was evening. While Yang, Ruby, and Blake were eating at the dining hall, Ringo and Weiss stayed back. Ringo called it an early night and fell asleep. Weiss did too, squeezing in tightly next to him. What surprised her the most was the goodnight kiss he gave her before he turned in.

 _'I have to remember to go pick up those ordered clothes for Ringo. I've been putting it off for weeks. It'll be a good way to get back on his good side.'_ Weiss thought, making arrangements on her scroll. _'Wait…'_

On her list of reminders, on the very top was a reminder that Team JNPR were coming over… today. What's worse is that their voices were nearby.

 _'Oh no!'_ Weiss bounced up from the bed and rushed inside the bathroom. She didn't want anyone seeing her in her current state. Especially Pyrrha. The only reason she was like this was because she was about to sleep.

Ruby, Blake, Yang, and Team JNPR entered the dorm.

"Riiinnggooo! Wake up!" Ruby jumped on his bed repeatedly. She did her highest jump yet, landing with such force that it knocked Ringo off the bed.

Ringo woke up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He was none to pleased with the abrupt intrusion.

"Look! Our friends are here!" She gestured over to Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren. Ringo scowled, returning back to the solitude of his bed. He wrapped his whole body in his blanket, only leaving his face uncovered.

"I lost to this guy?" Jaune scratched his head. Right now, Ringo looked like a couch potato. Lazy, sleepy, and wanting to be left alone.

"Don't be so lazy. Get up," Blake ordered. Ringo eyes watered. His puppy dog eyes were no match for Blake. It made her eyes sharpen. He sighed in frustration, removing the blanket off of him.

"Wow. Think you can order him to go on another date with me?" Yang whispered.

"Absolutely not." Just then, Weiss came out of the bathroom in her usual attire. She had her hair back into a high ponytail and had light touch of makeup on.

"Great! Now that everyone's here, it's time to get down to business!" Ruby brought everyone in a circle. "Alright! Ringo! What should we do?"

Ringo's eyes turned into dots. He flicked Ruby's forehead with no remorse. He plopped back down on his bed and grabbed the remote.

"Ah! Excellent idea! We'll watch a movie!" Ruby sat at the edge of his bed and nabbed the remote from him. Ringo still had his hands on the remote and the two engaged in a tug-of-war for the remote.

"R-ringo! This is for our movie night!" Ruby protested.

"It's his television. Let him decide what to watch." Weiss covered for Ringo. Ruby reluctantly handed him back his remote.

Smirking from his victory, Ringo chose the movie they all were going to watch.

"Hi! My name is Milly Ninabeth! And this is Nifford, my big blue dog!" The opening of Nifford the Big Blue Dog came on. Just about every deadpanned at the grinning Ringo.

Nora gasped, "No way! You're a fan of Nifford the Big Blue Dog too!?" Ringo nodded, now sporting a hat with Nifford's face on it. "I have the same hat!" Nora wore her Nifford hat too.

"That hat cost more than you think," Ren sighed. Nora, Ringo, and Jaune were on the Nifford side. Everyone else was against it.

"Pick another show, doctor!" Weiss snapped. Ringo rolled his eyes, blatantly ignoring her.

"Ringo…" Blake persuaded him to change it just by saying his name. Weiss got jealous over this, but hid it since there was company over.

"Nifford, remembered when you were a puppy? One puppy! Two puppy!" The theme song for Nifford's Puppy Days played, making Ringo, Nora, and Jaune happy again.

"It's clear movie night won't happen," Yang grumbled. "Now what?"

Ruby had a box in her hands. "I have this board game-"

"No," Yang rejected the suggestion in a heartbeat.

"But it's really-"

"No. Everyone's going to fight." Ever since their first team meeting, Yang was wary of board games. It led to fights among friends, only sparing those who were winning.

"What's the game?" Pyrrha asked, clueless as to what Yang was hinting at.

"It's Pardon! The game with the colorful pawn-like pieces! Everyone should know what this game is all about!" Ruby beamed.

"Isn't that for four players though?"

"We can't all be perfect!" Ruby shouted at Jaune, who cowered back to his original spot. "Those of us that want to play sit here and those that want to watch… Nifford go over there."

Spying his favorite game, Ringo sat at the Pardon section in a blink of an eye.

"I'll sit out for this round." Ren went towards Nora. She squealed, finding Nifford the puppy cute. Jaune was also on the Nifford section, wearing a Nifford watch.

"I'm game." Pyrrha took the second spot.

"Me too." Yang stole the third spot, leaving Ruby and Weiss as the last ones.

"Clever distraction!" Ruby cried out, throwing Weiss' hairbrush in the trash can.

"Not this time!" Weiss tossed a yummy batch chocolate chip cookies to the side. Ruby's eyes sparkled. She transformed into her flat chibi form, floating in the air while following the scent.

"Smart," Yang chuckled. Weiss flicked her ponytail back, smirking.

"Everyone knows the rules?" Pyrrha quiered, earning head nods. "I'll pick the red pieces."

"Blue for me." Weiss grabbed her blue pieces.

"Yell-" Yang was about to claim the yellow pieces as hers until Ringo took them. "Woah, woah, woah! Those are my pieces! Yellow is literally my gist! Green is ugly!"

Ringo merely shrugged, angering his blonde teammate.

"Color doesn't matter. Let's start the game already." That's what they did. All their pawns were placed at the start circle. The cards were stacked in the middle. It was time to decide who went first.

They played rock paper scissors to decide. It was down to Ringo and Yang. Weiss was out first, meaning she was last and Pyrrha was third.

"Rock paper scissor… shoot!" Yang balled her fist, signaling rock as her choice. Ringo made a gun with his thumb and index finger, shooting Yang's rock.

"Gun's not in the game!" Yang seethed in fury. Ringo went for the first card on the top of the stack, not caring for the rules. He placed it on the board so everyone could see. It was a one, meaning he moved up one.

The process of picking cards went on for a few minutes. Ringo got a five. He moved five spaces, realizing that Pyrrha's red pawn was at the space he was supposed to land.

Ringo grinned. He extracted his arm all the way back, pawn in hand. He pushed Pyrrha's pawn, sending it flying to the far end of the room. His yellow pawn piece relaxed on the now unoccupied space.

"Pardon," Ringo said in a low voice, the smug grin not leaving his face. Pyrrha frowned. She got up to go recover her pawn.

Yang snickered along with Ringo. That's how the rest of the game went. Ringo only did it with Pyrrha. He gave gentle bumps to Weiss and Yang's pawns as they did to him. Pyrrha never got a chance to get him back.

Pyrrha let out a huff of annoyance. Not one of her pawns made it home yet. Ringo always made sure to get her before she made it to the safe zone. He even skipped his opportunity to get a pawn at home just so he could strike Pyrrha's pawn. When he pulled out a card with the word Pardon on it, he specifically went after Pyrrha.

 _'Please be a ten.'_ Pyrrha flipped the card over. It just so happened to be a ten. Her eyes lit up. Ringo's yellow pawn was on that space.

Feeling like a million bucks, Pyrrha grabbed hold of Ringo's innocent pawn.

"Pardon!" Pyrrha threw the yellow pawn out the open window, laughing at her success.

"What's your problem, Pyrrha? It's just a game," Yang said, shocking Pyrrha.

"I-I… but he-"

"We can't play without that pawn piece. You ruined the game." Yang frowned deeply. She was one pawn away from winning.

"You should learn to better control your anger. Why didn't you lightly bump his pawn like the rest of us?" Weiss sighed, bummed out.

"Hmph!" Ringo turned his back against her, nose high up in the air.

Pyrrha didn't take this kindly. "What's your deal today? You've been nothing but cruel to me. First the thing you said to me during sparring class, then having your hamster ransack my dinner, and now this. I haven't done anything to you."

The room went silent. Pyrrha looked ready to go off on Ringo. Ringo went to his desk and opened the single drawer. He pulled out an item and presented it to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha gasped softly. Her eyes glistened, a fire reflecting off of them. In Ringo's hand was a cupcake with one lit candle stuck on top of it. The candle was shaped into the number five.

"It's the anniversary of my first Mistral Regional Tournament win. I only told you once and you still remembered." Pyrrha couldn't contain the growing smile on her lips. "Is that why you were being so mean? So I would least expect this?"

Ringo nodded, a toothy grin plastered on his face. He handed the cupcake to Pyrrha that came along with a card.

Pyrrha read it aloud.

"Happy fifth anniversary of your first Mistral Regional Tournament win. Here's to another great year and good luck for the Vytal Festival Tournament. From, Ringo Yin… and Jaune Arc!" Pyrrha's mood brightened, not only did Ringo do such a kind act but so did Jaune.

"Jaune Arc?" Jaune himself was unaware of this. He didn't remember baking a cupcake or signing some card. Hell, he forgot today was the day she won her first Mistral Regional Tournament.

Ringo placed a finger on his lips, telling Jaune to play along with it. He got the memo and pretended that he was a part of this too.

"Oh yeah! How could I forgot one of your many accomplishments!" Jaune puffed his chest out with pride. "What happened, Ren and Nora? How could you two forget!? From your own teammate no less!"

Ren deadpanned, "What's the date of her second Mistral Regional Tournament win?"

Jaune's body stiffened. A nervous smile replaced his confident one. Pyrrha looked on hopefully.

"That doesn't matter right now. What does is her first win! Congrats again Pyrrha!" He dodged the question lamely. Nevertheless, he clapped for his teammate.

"Thank you, Jaune." Ringo whispered something in Pyrrha's ear. "Yes. You're right about that. Thank you too, Ringo."

"I never got a cupcake…" Yang murmured with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

While Pyrrha took a bite out of her cupcake, Ringo also had a box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes with a picture of Pyrrha on the front and a pen. He hoped that she'd autograph his box of cereal.

Pyrrha almost spit out her cupcake from laughter.

* * *

A few days have passed. Professor Goodwitch didn't grant Ringo and Nora's request until today. Ringo proudly won all of his duels, stretching his win streak to five. Yesterday, he was paired up with Yang against a random duo that neither of them knew. Needless to say, they easily came out on top.

It was around that time that Ringo began speaking to Yang and Ruby again. Weiss was the odd one out. Ringo still hadn't spoken to her, which worried the heiress.

His friendship with Blake grew. They now have full on conversations about the books that they read together, often sharing theories of what's to come.

"Miss Valkyrie, Mr. Yin. You two are up," Professor Goodwitch called them up.

"Finally!" Nora skipped her way to the stage. Blake wished Ringo good luck before he left too. The remaining members of Team RRWBY and JNPR gathered around to share their thoughts of the upcoming battle.

"I got my money on Ring boy. He's on fire!" Yang out her two cents in first.

"Nora's got this. She can't lose," Ren said, garnering some eyebrow raises. "Her semblance, you'll see what it's truly capable of."

"The duel starts now!"

Ringo backed up some as Nora stayed where she was at. He knew she had something up her sleeve. Why else did she consider him to be the easiest to battle?

 _'What are you up to, Nora?'_

Ringo shifted Vinny into its gun form. He had a sneaky suspicion as to what she was up to. He just had to test it. He pointed one of his dual pistols at Nora, who spread her arms wide open.

 _'What the hell? She wants to get hit by my attacks? Damn, the cocky grin is pissing me off.'_ Ringo strategized his next move. Since his battle with Jaune, Ringo utilized his electrical bullets more often. If she wanted to get hit by the attack then that meant…

"No fucking way!" Ringo blurted out. "That is so unfair!" He tossed Vinny to the side, now knowing her true motives.

"You dropped something!" Ruby was concerned for her teammate. "Why did he toss his weapon away?"

"He's smarter than I thought." Ren nodded his head, impressed. He continued after seeing everyone's confused faces. "Nora's semblance allows her to produce and channel electrical energy into her muscles. It gives her enhanced strength," He explained calmly.

"What!?" Ruby, Yang, and Weiss were in a state of shock. Blake's eyes widened. Jaune and Pyrrha acted normal, already knowing this about their teammate.

"So he never had a chance?" Ruby's head dropped sadly. Ringo's main type of offense relied on electricity. Without it, he was a sitting duck.

"I wouldn't say that. He may surprise us." Ren didn't count Ringo out just yet. He could very well have a back up plan to take Nora down.

Nora feigned innocence. "What? Why'd you stop the attack?"

"You absorb freaking electricity, don't you?!"

"Maybe~" She giggled.

To her surprise, Ringo smirked. "That's quite unfortunate for me. Too bad my semblance doesn't actually cause physical harm."

"What?" Nora got her answer when Ringo lifted his left hand, going into Treatment Mode. The field of electricity covered the whole area in front of him. Her eyes went down, seeing the electricity. She readied herself to absorb the electricity.

Nora's semblance did just that, channeling his electricity to her own gain. However, the sudden scream caught everyone off guard.

"Hehe! I was right. That semblance doesn't protect you from mental harm! You absorbed my electricity that makes someone insane into your body. It doesn't matter if you gain strength. You can't hit anything if you aren't focused!"

Ren straightened up. His eyes were filled with worry, having rarely ever heard Nora scream. When she did, it was painful to hear.

"That electricity is in you. Better get rid of it before your Madness increases!" Ringo advised her. He charged forward, sliding his body down and sweeping her down with his feet.

 _'Ugh… this feeling…'_ Nora shook her head, dispelling any negative thoughts in her mind. _'I have to beat him down before I get worse!'_

"Kachow!" With her fast speed, Nora grabbed him and tossed him to the air. Ringo recovered in the air and fired off a blast of Shock Therapy at the floor under her.

Nora gritted her teeth, feeling her sanity drop each time she was in contact with his semblance. Her body was sparking with pink electricity. She garnered so much strength from his electricity that she had to use it at some point to gain the upper hand.

"Take this!" Nora slammed her hammer, Magnhild, at the floor. The impact caused the whole stage to shake. Ringo lost his footing. He went flying backwards and burst through the wall, creating a Ringo sized hole.

The electricity on the floor lessened its range, allowing Nora to escape its clutches for a brief period of time.

Ringo slowly crawled out from the wall. He shakily stood back up, only for Nora to throw her hammer at him. This caused him to create another hole in the wall.

 _'I got him down. If I keep corners him then he can't charge up his electric mumbo jumbo!'_ Nora moved forward to reclaim Magnhild. Ringo tried to prevent from doing so by summoning a crack of Shock Therapy at her weapon.

Magnhild sucked up all the electricity, acting like a lightning rod of some sort.

"This is so stupid!" Ringo cried out, beyond frustrated. Everything he did, Nora could counter with ease. The only way he could see himself winning was to drive her insane. He of course, didn't want to resort to that, but it looked like he had no other choice.

The disadvantages of attempting to drive her insane was that she got stronger. One good hit could potentially throw his strategy right out the window.

 _'I want to win… I want to win! Win! Win!'_ Ringo felt himself start to lose control. His streak couldn't end like this, after he let Nora get away with calling him an easy opponent.

 _'We'll see who's an easy opponent.'_

Nora jumped, her hammer coming down to smack Ringo's body. He stuck his hands out forward, creating a black circular aura barrier to block off Nora's attack. Nora's hammer smashed his aura shield, breaking it on impact due to its sheer force.

The force prompted the two to crash at each ends of the stage.

Ruby and Pyrrha compared scrolls to check on their aura. Nora was riding high on green while Ringo's was lingering at yellow.

"Screw this!" Ringo struggled to get up. His knees slumped down, nearly in defeat. He banged his fists on the ground, the electric field in front of him growing larger in height with each hit on the floor.

"The Doctor's not taking any precautions!" Ringo signature crazy grin came back.

"Doctor? You're not old enough to be one." Nora tilted her head in confusion.

"Silly girl." Ringo clenched his left fist. Nora noticed that he wasn't moving. Channeling the electricity from beneath her, she gathered plenty of strength to go in for her next move.

 _'Please watch out Nora.'_ Ren watched on, chastising her careless attacks.

Just as Nora neared in on Ringo, he raised his arms high up in the air. The electricity field rose all the way to the ceiling, now at its maximum potential. Magnhild hit Ringo spot on his shoulder.

"Ahhhh!" Nora let out her highest screech yet. She dropped her hammers and smothered her face onto the floor, arms above her head. Fresh tears leaked from her face. Her sniffles were loud enough for the front portion of students to hear.

"This better not be tier three, doctor." Weiss could only stand there and watch the scene unfold.

Nora's aura remained on green, regardless of her state. She hadn't received any physical harm from the exchange. Ringo's aura was at a low yellow, but relatively straying a good measure from red.

Ringo's eyes softened at the sight of his opponent crying. He sat in front of her, crossing his legs.

"Poor girl. So much pain… so much suffering. The doctor loves it~" The field in front of him never left, increasing Nora's Madness while she was unable to think properly.

"I hate seeing someone cry. It's a pathetic display of weakness!" Ringo sneered. She let out a pained wail, making Ringo laugh. "Dear me, tell me your strife! I'll wait."

Ringo just sat there, observing Nora's behavior. His body rocked back and forth, grinning madly.

"Miss Valkyrie, are you still able to compete?" Professor Goodwitch's voice surprised everyone.

"She is! She is!" Ringo replied to her.

"I wasn't asking you. I'll give you the count of ten to get up, Miss Valkyrie." Professor Goodwitch began counting to ten. Each second became harder to hear for Team JNPR. "Ten. Due to… mind issues, Miss Valkyrie is not fit to compete any more. Same goes to anyone who can't fight even when your aura isn't low. The winner is... Mr. Yin by technical knockout."

Team JNPR made a beeline to Nora, Ren being the one to comfort her. Ringo looked around the room. Everyone except his own team was either surprised, afraid, or angry at him. Nora was one of those girls who was always in an upbeat mood. Seeing her in a crying mess put everyone on edge.

 _'This is exactly like last year. No one likes the Doctor. They're scared of the Doctor. No one will beat the Doctor. He'll reign supreme. He'll reclaim his crown.'_

Ringo raised six fingers, indicating his sixth win in a row. A few boos came his way. He gladly welcomed them, gesturing them to keep it up.

"What's wrong with him? Ringo's never been this mean before." Ruby frowned, disliking this side of Ringo.

"Seems like the Doctor is behind this," Weiss said, though Ruby and Weiss didn't quite understand it.

"No. This is not his work. It's Ringo's own doing," Blake revealed. "He snaps out of it whenever he passes out or when he sees someone cry."

"What's crying got to do with this?" Yang asked, clueless from everything that's been happening. Weiss' eyes sharpened, not pleased that Blake corrected her.

"It reminds Ringo of himself. He's been through more than he's told you. The act of crying is sentient enough for him to break out of his crazy persona," She explained, staring at Ringo behaving arrogantly.

Yang cracked her knuckles. "So we have to knock his ego down a notch? Got it."

"No. I believe there's someone more qualified to do it professionally." Blake directed their attention back to the stage.

Pyrrha had gotten into a heated one sided argument with Ringo. Ringo stood there smirking while Pyrrha was going on a huge rant on how he should've tone it down with Nora.

"Come to think of it, Pyrrha hasn't lost a match either," Yang hummed.

"The invincible girl," Ruby added in.

"I haven't heard of the last time she lost." Weiss contributed, bringing up one of the many accomplishments of Pyrrha Nikos.

Pyrrha pointed a finger onto Ringo's chest, too invested in her emotions. He slapped her finger away, now appearing annoyed with her.

"Enough you two!" Professor Goodwitch stopped the confrontation before it further escalated. "Might I remind you Miss Nikos, that Miss Valkyrie requested this match up. It is her own fault if things didn't go the way she wanted it to. Getting angry at Mr. Yin won't solve anything. He won, fair and square."

Pyrrha couldn't deny her claims. Ringo was the better fighter here. It didn't mean she had to like it though.

"Woah. Professor Goodwitch defended Ringo!" Yang's mouth went agape. Goodwitch defending Ringo was as rare as Ruby refusing a homemade cookie.

"Yes, professor…" Pyrrha bowed her head. "Then may I have a match against Ringo?"

Professor Goodwitch shook her head. "While I do trust you, I make the rules around here. Since you were against the outcome of this match up in the first place, I'm not taking anymore duel requests. You'll just have to wait until you two get matched up."

Ringo childishly stuck out his tongue before retreating quietly, brushing past by his team. He left the room, with no one stopping him.

* * *

Ringo was back in the dorm. Instead of going to sleep like he usually did, he worked on something hidden inside his desk. It was a secret project. Something so secret that anyone reading about his life couldn't know.

Thankfully, since Goodwitch's class was the last one for the day, it gave him plenty of time to work privately before the others came back.

"Silver Junior, c'mere for a sec." Ringo cupped his small hamster in his hands and placed him on his desk.

He tapped his weapon on top of Silver Junior's head. Nothing happened, resulting in nothing happening to the hamster.

"Rats. You were supposed to go a little crazy," Ringo muttered. Silver Junior's eyes widened. He let out a frightened squeak and jumped inside his pink hamster ball.

 _'Note to self, the Doctor needs a new test subject.'_ Ringo continued for another hour until he checked the time. The rest of the team were due to come from dinner at any time now.

With that in mind, Ringo hid his secret project back in his desk. He slipped under his covers, pretending to have been asleep the entire time.

The door opened and in came Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang.

"See? He should be back to normal by the time he wakes up. Sleeping is like a hobby for him at this point." Yang plopped down on her bottom bunk, stretching her body. "That battle against Cardin was a breeze, but man am I tired!"

"You're one to talk. You sleep during class too," Weiss retorted, earning the stink eye from Yang.

"Aw. But I wanted Ringo to be awake. We were going to play Never Have I Ever together!" Ruby pouted, disappointed.

"Isn't that a kids game?" Blake inquired.

"No! It's a grown-up game!" Ruby defended. "We were supposed get to know each other more this way!"

"You know." Yang suddenly appeared beside her sister, nudging her shoulder. "If you really want to know him, then you should get on the bed with him~"

"What!? How would that help me?" Ruby wasn't sure where Yang was getting at. Yang's grin stretched even wider at her innocence.

"You shouldn't lead your sister on like that," Blake said, interrupting Yang before she began.

"Besides, there's only one person who belongs there," Weiss huffed.

"What do you mean by that?" Yang questioned the heiress, thinking of an answer.

"You'll see." Weiss went inside the bathroom, avoiding the conversation for now.

When nighttime approached, Weiss was all too comfortable in her rightful spot on top of Ringo. She made sure to fully enjoy herself, aware that Yang was giving her a death glare. She hugged him possessively, irritating the blonde more.

Having Weiss with him soothed down Ringo's nerves. He fully returned back to normal after having her in his arms for a going amount of time. Ringo wasn't willing to admit that he already had forgiven Weiss. In truth, he wanted to see where this goes and what measures she'd take to gain back his trust. Like a test of sorts.

That didn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself.

Ringo had both arms wrapped around her too. Their foreheads were pressed against each other. They stared into each others eyes, unconsciously closing the gap between their lips.

"Hey~" Yang came in from out of nowhere, laying on her side next to Ringo. The sudden intrusion was enough for Ringo and Weiss to lose their grip for a split second. That was all that Yang needed to push Weiss to the side.

"Yang?" Ringo was stunned that Yang was being more forward with him. He was used to having Weiss with him. Yang was a totally new experience.

"I thought you might've wanted _'better company_ ' in your arms," Yang cooed. The moment she pressed herself on his left side, Ringo's face heated up considerably. He felt her rather large chest on him, inadvertently getting closer to Yang.

"First Blake, now you?!" Weiss hissed.

"Seriously? Blake's in the running too?"

"You're mad! Just leave us alone." Weiss hugged his right side, Yang on his left.

"No way. This is a really comfortable place. Maybe I should start sleeping here more often." She placed her head on the croon of his neck, smiling warmly.

"Ringo…" Weiss looked at him, desperately wanting Yang to go.

Ringo shrugged, not having any sort of solution for this. He reassured her by kissing her forehead. Weiss sighed, reluctantly accepting having Yang with them.

"Ahem." Yang cleared her throat, leaning her forehead closer. Ringo placed a kiss on her forehead too, satisfying Yang.

 _'I guess having two pretty girls with me isn't so bad.'_ Ringo pulled them two in closer. _'I didn't even know Blake was here at some point. I've been sleeping too much as of late.'_

Ringo assumed his reasoning for sleeping so much was to make up for lost sleep time. It may have been deeper than that, but he really didn't feel like figuring it out.

His scroll beeped. It was unusual of this to happen so late at night. Ringo let go of Weiss in order to reach his scroll.

 _'Velvet?'_ Ringo opened his scroll to find out that it was Velvet who messaged him.

He read it carefully:

 _'We can't hold Coco back any longer. We're coming back on Sunday. She knows that we've been keeping her away from you. You have to talk to her. You can't avoid this any longer.'_

Ringo dropped his scroll on the ground. His face paled. Only one thought came to his mind.

 _'Fuck.'_

* * *

 **Second Author's Note: Next chapter will be mainly Team CFVY so that's something to look forward to. Then after that is Team RWBY and probably one more duel, I'm not too sure yet. Imma add the harem down here to keep y'all updated on it.**

 **In the Harem: Weiss, Ruby, Yang, Blake, Velvet, Emerald, Coco, Penny.**

 **Considerations: Winter, Raven, Neo, Ilia, and Nora.**

 **I've thought about Pyrrha for a while now. I even added a lighthearted interaction between the two in this chapter. But I think I'll have her remain with Jaune. I've also thought about Nora. Someone mentioned her in the past and I still have her as a consideration, but a low one. I get easily swayed in if it's a majority so if you all want her in the harem then I'll add her. Otherwise, she's with Ren. I might of missed some, but that's all the girls that come off the top of my head. Any other suggestions are welcomed. That's all for now so stayed tuned.**


	11. Moving On

**Long A** **uthor's Note: Took me a while longer to get this done. Could've had it yesterday, but I didn't want to rush it. Hopefully, I can get back to my usual Monday updates next chapter. I plan for next chapter to get the harem built up. The amount of attention this is getti ng feels good. Even if it isn't much to you guys, it is to me. So, thank you all for giving this fanfic a try. We're hitting the one hundred thousand words mark and I plan on continuing for a good while. Hopefully it won't end up like my Pokémon story, I hate getting Writers Block.**

 **Lelouch Strife: Got it.**

 **JohnyXD: I can most likely sync Ringo and Nora's semblance seeing how they both connect. Team NDGO is an interesting choice. I haven't thought about it but I can see an interaction between the five because they hail from Vacuo. Melanie and Miltia? Haven't thought about them either and I don't have plans for that at the moment. I'll have to get back to you for that one. As for Cinder, I don't have any intention for having her in the harem. Cinder is only getting him at his breaking point as an order for Adam. No weapon.**

 **s0n1cb00m: The experience from the previous chapter messed him up. That's why he's distant around the others. He's not mad at them, he's still taking it all in. Blake was with him before the incident and she was there to watch him when they got back, so that's why he kept interacting with her. As a sense of comfort.**

 **razmire: Well, the gore is mainly in cutscenes, so maybe it counts as movie related? Anyway, I appreciate your opinions and I'll consider them in the final making of the harem. And yeah, I do believe Jaune and Pyrrha make a cute couple too.**

 **The Headless chicken: I'm guessing you meant either. I got your input checked.**

 **Spartan 108 (1): Got it.**

 **Blaze1992: You're on the right track. It's somewhat explain this chapter.**

 **GrimScarlet: Got it.**

 **Ghostly: I'm apologize if I didn't make it clear. Jaune is with Pyrrha.**

 **OverlordMetatron: Those were my initial thoughts about having Raven in it too. I have it as a consistent because some people do want her in. Thanks for your input and I will take it in consideration like all the other reviews.**

 **DamascusDalek: That bit about Ilia, I haven't gotten that far in the series, as I mentioned in the past. I'm at the beginning of Volume Four. I haven't watched it since the end of January (Lazy, I know). That's on me for not knowing the Ilia does have feelings for Blake.**

 **Spartan 108 (2): Haha, it is fanfic logic now that I think about it. I'll have the suggestion of Ilia on hold for now to think about it some more.**

 **Banru: Drama is something I enjoy to read too. I have your input checked.**

 **Bridd: I have no idea what Konosuba. Looked it up, can't relate as to how they're similar. I feel like I need to watch it in order to understand where you're getting at.**

 **With those helpful reviews answered, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

"Ringo! You have to come out of there!"

Weiss put her hands on her hips, reprimanding her teammate for hiding inside the bathroom. Ruby, Blake, and Yang were also annoyed by the situation.

"No." The one word reply came from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Come on! We need to use the bathroom!" Yang banged her fists on the door.

"No."

"Pretty please?" Ruby pleaded.

"No."

"Ringo Yin, you will come out right now! I need to wash up!" Weiss tried to convince him to come out, even going so far as to using his full name. She meant business.

"I've already seen you naked. Just come in." Ringo's words made Weiss blush heavily.

"You two actually-"

"That is none of your concern!" Weiss cut off Yang angrily. She looked at the doorknob before releasing a sigh and entering the bathroom.

"Ah! She does do the dirty with Ring boy!" Yang's voice was promptly ignored by Weiss.

Weiss examined the bathroom. Ringo was nowhere to be seen.

"Ringo?" A tiny squeak came from under the sink, following by loud shushing. Weiss opened the cabinet from under the sink, revealing both Ringo and Silver Junior.

"There you are! Get out of there!" Weiss managed to yank him out of the small space. Her next goal was to push him out of the door, but Ringo wasn't budging.

"You have to get out of here!" She pushed him at the door, making it rattle. She continued doing so in an effort to get him out of the bathroom.

Yang and Blake had to stand there and hear the door shake every second, which came with the occasional grunts. Their faces heated up, imagining what could be happening in there. Ruby remained neutral, unlike her embarrassed teammates beside her.

"Stop being so rough!" Yang couldn't handle the suspense any longer. She opened the door. Ringo and Weiss came tumbling down.

"Yes! Dibs!" Yang sped inside the bathroom first, locking it tightly.

"Nooo!" Ringo developed a teary face, scratching his nails on the door.

"Get this stupid hamster out here too!" Yang opened the door slightly, throwing out Silver Junior. The hamster was caught by Ringo just in time.

"Great." Weiss recollected herself, peeved that Yang took her spot. "What is wrong with you? You hogged the restroom for an hour, hiding!"

Blake snapped her fingers. "Coco's coming back today, isn't she?" She guessed correctly. Ringo nodded solemnly, searching for a new hiding spot in the room.

"Coco? That girl who you're taking a break from?" Ruby remembered when Ringo talked to her about Coco, asking for some advice.

Ringo groaned out loud.

"You only have yourself to blame, doctor. Why would you break up with her over text?" Weiss scolded her teammate.

Ringo had an incredulous look on his face. "I did that to be with you!"

Weiss blinked, as if remembering that she did in fact get in between Ringo and Coco without realizing it. "Th-that's not the point! What's important is that you conquer your fear of Coco."

"I-I'm not afraid of Coco!" Ringo denied it, shaking his head furiously.

His scrolled beeped. Instead of a text message, Ringo saw that someone left him a voicemail.

That someone was Coco.

He stared at the scroll on his bed, trembling in fright. Weiss rolled her eyes and pressed play on the voicemail for him.

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING GET YOU RINGO-" Weiss quickly stopped the message. She cringed at the level of animosity directed towards Ringo.

Ringo fainted out of fright. Ruby gasped. She hit him in the chest in order to awaken him.

"Hehe. You're going to get it," Blake chuckled. Betrayed that Blake wasn't going to support him, Ringo snatched the plush cat that he gifted her a few weeks back and tossed it out the window.

Blake rushed out the dorm, presumably going to retrieve her gift.

"Fine. Teach me how to not to be afraid of Coco," Ringo admitted defeat, finding no other way around it.

"Excellent." Weiss nodded, pleased. "What time will she get here?"

"A-around noon."

"That gives us plenty of time. First things first, why are you afraid of her?"

Ringo lowered his head. "Because she's going to beat me up."

"Anything else?" He shook his head. "Alright. We just have to boost your confidence is all. That shouldn't be a problem. You're strong enough as it is."

"Yeah! Use your electric powers on her!" Ruby added in cheerfully.

"I can't." Ringo frowned. "I'm forbidden to use it on Coco."

"Says who?"

"Coco."

"Ringo!" Weiss threw her arms up in the air. "Listen, you have to stop treating Coco like she's the most important person in the world! Pass it on to someone more deserving of your loyalty."

"So I should treat you like that?"

"Exactly! You're on the right path. Any other rules Coco has you under is now my rules, got it?" Weiss believed this would be the right course of action. Pushing every little rule that Ringo followed from Coco to herself will ensure that Ringo wasn't trapped on a leash. She wouldn't enforce any of the rules, providing Ringo with free control over his life.

"O-okay! That sounds like a good idea." Ringo bowed his head and presented her an expensive pair of earrings. "Coco had me give her expensive jewelry every two weeks."

Weiss' eyes twinkled at the sight. "No. You shouldn't-"

"Oh! I could I forget the ring!" Ringo put the earrings in her hand. He went over to his desk and grabbed a black square case. He bent down on one knee and opened it, revealing a small ring with a small diamond on the center. He may or may have not stole it. For Weiss' sake, he wasn't going to spill the beans.

"Coco said that I had to marry her. Now I get to marry you!" Ringo hastily put the ring on her index finger on her right hand. Weiss felt overwhelmed by everything that was happening. She didn't even get a chance to say yes… or no.

"M-marry!? But my father-" Ringo shut her up by hugging her tightly.

"She also likes daily hugs." Ringo lifted her up in the air, twirling her around. Weiss clenched onto his shirt, fearing that he may drop her.

"Aw! No fair!" Ruby stomped her foot rather childishly.

Yang came out of the bathroom, all freshened up. "What's gotten into Ring boy?"

"He's marrying Weiss!" Ruby cried out. Yang eyes flashed red when she saw that Ruby was indeed right. The diamond ring was seen plain as day.

"I object!" Yang pulled the two apart, getting up into Ringo's face. "Why are you marrying Weiss?! Weren't you mad at her? What happened to that?" It didn't make any sense. Ringo was angry at Weiss. All of a sudden, that tension disappeared between the two.

 _'What the hell kind of storytelling is that!?'_ Yang thought furiously.

"It's water over the bridge. If Blake forgave her, so should I. She's already proven herself that she's sorry about what happened. I've seen it with my own eyes."

"When did this happen?" Yang asked, not recalling ever seeing the two talk.

"Yesterday. You stayed up all Friday night and slept all day Saturday. Weiss forced me to go with her to see it for myself."

* * *

"Come on, doctor! I have to show you something!" Weiss dragged Ringo through Beacon grounds. It was only natural that he resisted it as best as he could.

"Here! Look!" Ringo looked at what she was pointing at, gasping. There was a table filled with many gifts on top. If he had to guess, there had to be at least ten.

"To show how much I care for you, I went out and personally handpicked these gifts for you." Weiss patted herself on the chest, proud of her feat. The fact that it stunned Ringo made her feel more confident in her plan.

"Go on." Weiss motioned him forward, smiling warmly. Ringo reluctantly went for the table of gifts. He grabbed a small rectangular gift first, but Weiss took it from him.

"This needs to be the last gift you open. I went through a lot to get it. It's only right if it's open last!" Weiss laughed nervously as Ringo eyed her suspiciously.

He let it go for the moment. Ringo opened the first gift, finding it to be a surplus of Schnee Company products. He threw it to the side, already hating his first gift.

The second gift turned out to be a box of chocolates. His mouth watered at the sight, until he saw that it contained peanuts. He was allergic, so he threw it with the first gift too.

The third gift was a bouquet of white roses. At first, he found it sweet. However, they turned out to be plastic. That was enough for him to toss it to the side. Weiss was more than capable to afford real roses. Why she bought fake ones boggled his mind.

The fourth and fifth gifts were the clothes that he ordered a few weeks ago. He was genuinely excited to try it on. When he did open them, his excitement vanished. He held up the clothing, which was all too small for him. The two gifts joined the reject pile.

 _'Oh no.'_ Weiss' heart clenched as she watched him dump half her gifts to the side. She thought she chose the right gifts. The complete opposite happened. She didn't know Ringo as well as she thought she did.

The sixth gift was when things turned around for the better. It was a new hamster cage for Silver Junior. It was bigger and more fancier than the old one. There was the basic cage as the base, followed with a miniature house on top of it. There was a tube connected to the two levels for Silver Junior to crawl back and forth. The usual things were in the base cage, such as a wheel, a water bottle, a mirror, and toys.

Ringo peered inside the mini house, spotting a kitchen and a living room inside. The furniture was all there. He found the small hamster sized furniture cute.

Instead of treating it like trash, he moved it aside, keeping it on the table. Weiss let out a relieved sigh, glad that he liked at least one of the gifts.

The seventh gift was a new video game that wasn't scheduled to come out until several more months. It was the popular worldwide franchise, Pokémon.

"Gen eight… Pokémon Sword..." Ringo whispered softly. His hugged the game, treasuring its content.

 _'Score!'_ Weiss celebrated her success. She wasn't sure if he even liked Pokémon. Velvet brought it up one time, telling her that she and Ringo played it together one day.

The eighth gift was a miniature replica of his favorite hook. The one from Léry's Memorial Institute. It had every single detail that was on the real one. A grin crawled its way onto Ringo's face. He stored it in his pockets for now.

The ninth gift caused Ringo to get emotional. He unwrapped it slowly. It was a photo frame. It wasn't just any picture in it. No, it was of him and his former teammates. The picture was taken the day before it all happened.

He remembered it clearly. Silver wanted to go hang out at the mall before their mission. The picture itself consisted of him, Silver, Leia, and Vinny. Silver and Leia were holding hands while Vinny managed to get his head stuck in a bucket of popcorn. Ringo wasn't in the picture because he was the one who took it.

"W-weiss…" Ringo was speechless. How she got the picture, he wasn't sure of. It didn't matter. Having the picture of their last day as a team meant more to him than the other presents.

"Here's your last gift." Weiss handed him the last gift. She quietly stood to the side, giving Ringo some alone time.

As soon as he opened it, he immediately dropped it in shock. Ringo ran over to Weiss, crushing her in a bear hug.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." He kept thanking her, fresh tears streaming from his eyes. He released a few sobs, beyond grateful for the gift.

 _'I knew he'd like it.'_ Weiss returned the hug. She comforted her teammate as he cried. It took a lot of convincing, but she finally got Professor Ozpin to deliver her the scrolls of Silver, Leia, and Vinny. Their scrolls were confiscated for evidence, despite Ringo begging Ozpin to let him keep them. Their scrolls had all their pictures, their memories as a team. That was why Ringo wanted them so bad.

The amount of work she went through in order to get the scrolls was finally paying off.

She earned back Ringo's trust that afternoon. Ringo accepted her apology, even getting text messages from Velvet confirming the days Weiss spent learning the life of a normal faunus. In his eyes, Weiss fully redeemed herself.

Since then, Ringo welcomed back their relationship with open arms.

* * *

Ringo and Weiss finished reminiscing the moment. Yang and Ruby looked at what they were staring at, completely lost.

"Uh… you know we can't see you two flash backing, right?" Yang coughed awkwardly.

"Meh. What matters is that we know what happened." Ringo pushed Yang out of the way and embraced Weiss once more. They pressed their foreheads together, staring at each others eyes lovingly.

"I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but you guys were flash backing for so long that it's already noon," Yang informed them, stopping their tender moment.

"Ah! No way!" Ringo locked himself back inside the bathroom.

"Here we go again," Ruby huffed. She and Yang looked on with jealous eyes as Weiss admired her ring. Her face shined a nice rosy red.

 _'Father would never approve. He'd want me with one of his colleagues sons to guarantee that the Schnee Dust Company will stay strong. Ringo doesn't have anything on his name. It will never work out.'_

The more she adored the ring, the more she visualized what could happen if they went that route. Being the heiress of the company was what was holding her back.

 _'Maybe… maybe if I-'_

"THAT IDIOT IS DEAD!" Coco's voice boomed throughout the dormitory building. Ruby and Yang were taken aback, never having actually met her before.

Like last time, people screamed. Coco footsteps were louder than a Manticore pursuing its prey. She busted through the door, taking it down with her sheer strength.

"You can't just-" Yang went to protest but one good look at Coco silenced her. Ruby hid behind her sister, both understanding why Ringo was afraid of her now.

"Coco! Stop!" Velvet, Yatsuhashi, and Fox were behind their livid leader, trying to hold her back. Coco's terrifying strength allowed her to move even with the setback.

"You!" Coco snatched a frozen Silver Junior. "Where is he?!" Fearing for his own life, Silver Junior pointed his head at the bathroom door. The hamster silently promised not to ask Ringo for any treats after betraying him like that.

Coco released Silver Junior and marched to the bathroom door. Yang and Ruby joined Team CFVY in trying to pull Coco away from the door.

"Hiyah!" Coco broke through the bathroom door too. No one was in there. Not believing this for a second, Coco opened the cabinet right under the sink. A blur zipped out as soon as she did so. Coco caught the blur by the shirt with her remarkable keen eyes.

"Oh no!" Ringo gasped. He instinctively released his Shock Therapy on the bathroom floor. Coco let go of him, resisting the urge to scream.

Ringo got out of there and hid behind Weiss.

"You actually used your semblance against me? That's a violation of the rules!" It was then that Coco discovered that a ring was on Weies' hand. _'Her'_ ring.

Weiss decided to stand up for her partner. "Listen, Ringo has moved on from your unhealthy relationship. Look at him, he's scared out of his mind because of you!"

They both directed their gaze at Ringo, who has now fainted with 'X' marks replacing his eyes.

"He's just faking it. Get up!" Coco yelled. Ringo jumped up in an instant. "I have had enough of your foolish nonsense!"

In a small meek voice, Ringo spoke. "B-but you said we were going to take a break…"

"That doesn't mean you go and find someone else! Seriously, you settled with a Schnee? What happened with those plots of destroying the Schnee Dust Company bit by bit?" Coco folded her arms, waiting for his response.

"Leia convinced me not to go with it!" Ringo said, gaining courage to speak up. "There's nothing wrong with Weiss Schnee. Taking a break means you're not together anymore! I moved on with someone who treats me well." He held Weiss' hand as proof of their close relationship.

Coco gritted her teeth. "I don't think you understand-"

"No! I don't think _'you'_ understand, Coco!" Ringo cut in, holding Weiss' hand tighter. "I don't want someone who beats me, who demands money, who treats me like I'm a piece of spaghetti on the street! Weiss is the one I want to be with! Not you!" He finished angrily. A period of silence followed, Ringo's words hitting everyone hard.

"Ringo…" Weiss admired Ringo more after that. He defended her from someone who judged her by her family name. He even mustered up the courage because of her. So he could announce that he chose to be with her instead of Coco.

"Not even there. Anyone is better than you. Dating Yang or Blake is a thousand times better than going out with you. Even Ruby! And you know what else?" Ringo stepped forward, now standing mere inches from Coco. "I wished I asked out Velvet instead of you that day."

While Velvet was trying to keep her feelings from bursting, Coco threw a right hook at Ringo's face. Surprisingly, he caught her fist mid-way and retaliated with a punch of his own. His fist connected to her jaw, making her stagger slightly.

Coco removed her sunglasses, exposing her widened dark brown eyes. Ringo realized what he had done and quickly sped out the dorm, taking Weiss with him.

Coco stayed in place, her body shaking madly. Her team, along with Yang and Ruby thought that she was going to go on another rampage and were prepared to defend themselves.

The leader of Team CFVY burst out laughing, much to the confusion of everyone in the dorm. It came to the point of tears. Coco was too amused by what happened.

"Why is she laughing? I thought she was going to murder Ringo?" Ruby whispered to Team CFVY.

"Beats me," Yatsuhashi replied, scratching his head.

"That idiot finally grew a spine and he had the guts to fight back!" Coco chortled.

"I don't get it. You're happy that he finally stood up to you?" Yang questioned her.

"Obviously. What, you thought I was being a bitch on purpose?" Coco ignored the gasp from Ruby because of her language. "I've only been doing it to shape him from a coward to a huntsman. I mean, come on. I'm not that scary. I only pretend to be."

"What? How is being mean to Ringo going to help him?" Ruby asked, catching everyone's attention. "He cared a lot about you. It was all he ever talked about during the first week. Then he stopped. I think you were only making him more of a coward. Even when he punched you, he looked scared."

"We tried to tell her…" Fox mumbled, shaking his head.

Yang spoke next, "I agree with Ruby. I think just being there for him and supporting him is enough."

"Don't you think I've already tried that?!" Coco shouted, getting agitated now that everyone was against her. "Who do you two think you are anyway? I've known him far longer. I was there during his downfall. I know what's best for him."

"Do you? We're his new teammates. I feel like we know him on a personal level. We've seen him at his worst too. When he was kidnapped to the mental hospital, he came out broken. It took weeks before we could get him to talk. He only talked to Blake because she was there with him before it happened and she was there to support him afterwards. It helped. Your way would've caused him to do something irrational."

Yang's words hit them hard, but for a different reason. When she mentioned the mental hospital, Team CFVY tensed up.

"M-mental hospital? You don't mean he actually went back to Léry's Memorial Institute?" Velvet's eyes were filled with terror. Fox and Yatsuhashi also appeared quite uncomfortably with the topic.

"I'm pretty sure that's the name," Yang said.

"Shit…" Coco sat down on Ringo's bed, hands running through her temples. She looked at Yang seriously. "Did you see anything out of the ordinary in that building?"

Yang's face turned slightly green. "Ugh… don't remind me. There were actual human-"

"We know. We know." Coco raised her hand to stop Yang from speaking any further. "It can't be helped. That Schnee better prepare herself for what's coming."

"Why are you all so worked up about this? Everything's good now."

"Everything is not good. You two know about the Doctor, don't you?" Coco asked Yang and Ruby.

"No," They both answered at once.

"Personal level my ass," Coco muttered under her breath. "I'll keep it brief, it's him but when he goes all crazy."

"Oh…" Yang and Ruby understood now. They've seen the Doctor in person before.

Velvet continued the conversation, "A few months agos, Ringo left to go to Léry's Memorial Institute. Back then, the Doctor was tame. He didn't come out as frequently."

"Ringo was much better at controlling his semblance. When he came back, the Doctor kept coming out more often. Luckily, we were still there to prevent it from happening as many times as possible," Yatsuhashi added in.

"Now that freaky Doctor is going to be around more," Fox ended, dissatisfied with the outcome.

Yang chuckled, "Relax. He hasn't been the… Doctor outside of duels. Heck, he's only been like that one time since we got him out of that place. Even then, Blake said he acted like that on his own intuition. Apparently crying breaks him out of it." She waved off their warnings. Nothing bad was going on with Ringo. She even got to sleep next to him a couple of times. No complaints from her.

"Then it's already happening. The Doctor is slowly becoming one with Ringo." Coco facial expressions turned grim. "He doesn't just act crazy on his own free will. The Doctor is getting stronger. Soon, nothing will break him out of it."

"Guys. Seriously, chill out. It's not that bad." Yang denied everything that was being said. "I think you're just upset that your little plan didn't work. You lost Ringo to... Weiss." Reminding herself who Ringo chose to be with disheartened her.

"Fine. Don't listen to me. You'll regret it later on." Coco waved her hand at her team. "We're done here. You three are free to speak to him now." The faces of Velvet and Yatsuhashi lit up. Fox nodded approvingly. "And I haven't lost Ringo. He'll be right back to me before you know it." That was the last thing she said to them before she and her team left the dorm.

"Velvet, if you help me get him back to me, I'll let you have three… no two days with him a week," Coco offered in a soft tone so Yatsuhashi and Fox couldn't drop in on their deal.

As expected, Velvet passed out. Coco took that as a yes.

* * *

The next day, Velvet was devising a scheme on how to woo Ringo back to Coco. Coco stopped by and gave some advice at times. Yet, she couldn't think of anything off the top of her head.

"What are you doing?" Yatsuhashi peeked at the paper where she was writing down some ideas. Velvet hid it before he had a chance to look.

"N-nothing! Just notes!" Velvet said, a little louder than she intended. Professor Port hushed them, miffed that they interrupted the lesson.

"Sorry," The two apologized. Professor Port gazed at them suspiciously. Nevertheless, he resumed his lesson.

 _'Phew. That was close.'_ Velvet looked down at her paper once more. There was only three things she wrote down. One of them was to talk it out together, which could be a problem seeing how Ringo is scared of Coco. The second one was to get a nice gift for him, though something told her that someone else already did this.

The last one was Coco's suggestion. Just reading it made her face beet red.

It read:

 _'Seduce Ringo.'_

Coco explained to her that seducing Ringo was ideal because he was easily swayed in those circumstances. Velvet thought about crossing off the suggestion, but chose against it and left it there.

Fox put his elbow on the desk, disinterested with Oobleck's talking.

Velvet's ears perked up in shock. She let out a small _'eep'_ and crumpled the sheet of paper loudly. Velvet thought he was staring at her sheet of paper. She momentarily forgot that Fox couldn't really know what was written on the note. Professor Port came over to their row in a blink of an eye.

"Trying to pass notes, I see? I expected more from you, Miss Scarlatina." He disciplined her actions. Velvet was typically the quiet good behaved student. He was disappointed to see her do such a thing.

"M-my bad…" Velvet hung her head in shame.

"Since you felt the need to pass notes to Mr. Alistair, I suppose you'll have no problem sharing it to the entire class." Professor Port believed this as a reasonable punishment to ensure that Velvet wouldn't do it again.

"I can't! I-I…" One stern gaze from the professor stopped her protests. With a defeated whine, Velvet read the note. "Ideas to win… Ringo back."

The class erupted in laughter. Yatsuhashi looked on in pity for his teammate. Coco, on the other hand, smirked, loving to see the flustered side of Velvet.

"Talk to him, give him a gift… that's it!"

Coco wrapped an arm around her in a teasing manner. "Professor! Velvet didn't read it all."

"Coco! But why?" Velvet squeaked.

"Hey, if you're going to be with us then you're going to not be shy about it. Say it loud and proud," Coco said, in her eyes, looking out for her teammate.

"S-seduce Ringo…" Velvet's voice came out as quiet as a mouse.

"Louder."

"Seduce… Ringo."

"Louder!"

"Seduce Ringo," Velvet said in a normal voice.

"Loud and proud, Velvet!"

"Seduce Ringo!" The laughter from the class didn't cease. Some fell from their desks, others clenched their stomachs. Having Velvet say those was entertaining to say the least.

"Atta girl!" Coco hugged her with one arm. Yatsuhashi glanced at his own notes awkwardly.

"Uh… well." Professor Port blinked. "Be safe." He didn't know what to say after that so the lesson resumed.

* * *

Lunch soon followed. Team CFVY sat at their usual spots. While Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi grabbed their lunch, Velvet stayed behind and spied on Ringo.

He was sitting with his team, along with with Team JNPR. Ringo and Weiss feeding each other, gaining some upset, uncomfortable, and even depressed looks from the two teams.

"I was thinking Ringo, we should get together later for a study date. There's our first major assessment tomorrow and I feel we'll both pass if we study together." Velvet heard Weiss say.

"Aww… but I wanted to snuggle all day," Ringo complained, not liking the plan to study.

"When can do it after we finish studying," Weiss proposed. Ringo thought about it for a hot minute. He grinned and hugged Weiss softly.

"It's a date, Snow Angel."

Unbeknownst to Ringo, just about everyone had a problem with him. Yang and Ruby were acting strange. They only really talked to him when Weiss was elsewhere. Jaune had his head down, depressed that Weiss was taken. Nora refused to spare him a glance, still torn up about the outcome of the battle. Ren was the same, though he wasn't much of a talker so no one noticed. Pyrrha just observed him, scouting a weakness to use against him when their battle will come to be.

All in all, it was a normal routine for Ringo. He was used to people not liking him. This case was different. He wasn't aware that those close to him were those people.

Blake remained neutral towards their relationship. In fact, she was happy for them, much like in the past. "I thought you already took the assessment last year. There isn't much for you to study."

"I have a bad memory at the worst times. Can't really help it because my mind is screwed anyhow." He shrugged. "Besides. It means I'll get to spend more time with Weiss."

Velvet was interrupted from her eavesdropping when something landed right in front of her.

"Oh! Silver Junior! How are you doing?" Inside his pink hamster ball, Silver Junior tossed himself at Velvet's arms. "Good? That's great. I wish I was the same."

Velvet held the hamster ball so that Silver Junior faced Ringo's direction. "I need to get him back together with Coco, but he looks so happy with Weiss. I can't ruin his happiness. She might be the key solution in stopping the Doctor from emerging. This is so hard to choose." She banged her head on the table, hitting the hamster ball with her rabbit ears.

Silver Junior hopped out of the opening and sat on Velvet's shoulder. Strangely, he patted her shoulder with his tiny hands.

"Careful. There's a rat on your shoulder," Coco mused, sitting down next to Velvet. Yatsuhashi and Fox followed.

"Silver sure did pick out a smart hamster." Yatsuhashi sweatdropped, watching Silver Junior swipe some of Coco's baby carrots.

"An annoying one too." Coco swatted the hamster away from her food. "Shoo! Go ask Ringo for some hamster food."

Silver Junior glared at Coco, who did the same in return.

"You're glaring at the hamster again, aren't you?" Fox quiered calmly.

"He's glaring at me! Stop that!" Silver Junior didn't stop. "That's it!" Coco shoved the hamster inside his hamster ball and chucked him over at Ringo's table.

"Ah!" Silver Junior bopped Weiss' head as he was landing.

"Silver Junior! What a pleasant surprise." Ringo welcomed him with open arms. "Here. You can have my leftovers. I know how much Silver spoiled you with vegetables." He offered his hamster his salad, not because Weiss forced him to eat healthy and he didn't want to eat it.

Silver Junior dug inside the small leafy greens, munching away happily.

"That hamster is not normal," Blake noted.

"That hamster has a name, thank you very much." Ringo shielded his bowl of greens containing Silver Junior. "He so is normal. Don't talk about him like that. He's a sensitive hamster."

Yang snorted, "Sensitive?" She went in to grab a piece of the salad. Silver Junior scratched her finger.

"He also doesn't like it when people try to steal his food."

"Yeah, I kinda got that." Yang rolled her eyes.

 _'Hmm… a weakness is Weiss and the hamster, but they won't be on the battlefield.'_ Pyrrha thought, frustrated with her lack of findings.

"He loves money, just like me." Ringo tossed a single bill near the bowl of salad. Silver Junior curled up on the bill, using it like a sleeping bag of sorts.

"I'm going to the restroom. I'll meet up with y'all during our last class," Ringo excused himself from the table.

 _'There's my chance!'_ Velvet hurriedly followed him.

"Ringo!" Velvet called out to him.

"Velvet?" Ringo looked behind her shoulder. "You have to go, Coco might see us," He said, appearing uneasy.

"Coco said we're allowed to hang out with you again."

"Really?"

"Doctor! You forgot your bag." Weiss came into the scene, handing Ringo his belongings. "Oh, hello there Velvet." She noticed that the rabbit faunus was with Ringo.

"Hi…" Velvet was a bit saddened that her potential conversation with Ringo got put on hold.

"Thanks. I don't know how I forgot it." Ringo retrieved his bag from Weiss and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you later, Snow Angel."

"Bye." Weiss watched him leave with a small smile on her face.

When he was far away, Weiss removed her ring and slid it on her index finger instead.

"I haven't decided. While I'm not opposed to the idea, I don't want the news to spread. Father will most surely hear about it and try to put an end to it," Weiss explained after spotting the confusion on Velvet's face.

"You really do care for him." Velvet was astounded at the amount of effort Weiss was putting in for the two of them.

"Of course I do," Weiss answered as if it was the easiest thing to say. "I'm positive that I'm not just some replacement for Coco. He's really moved on from her."

 _'Poor Coco. We all told you your plan wouldn't work out. Now you really did lose Ringo.'_ Velvet thought, feeling bad for Coco. The only other solution she could think was for Coco to repeat what Weiss did to redeem herself.

It was a perfect solution once she thought about it clearly. It'd prove whether Coco was willing to put the time to show Ringo that she was truly sorry for her behavior the past couple of months.

Since Weiss and Velvet had class together next, they walked to Professor Oobleck's class.

* * *

The beginning of the weekend soon came. Ringo, Fox, and Yatsuhashi hanging out in Team RRWBY's dorm. For some reason, the girls of Team CFVY weren't with them. Ringo didn't particularly mind, perceiving this as a guys hangout session.

"This is the life. I'm usually around girls. Being around you two is a refresher," Ringo said, comfortably laying down on his bed.

"You know, a lot of the guys are jealous of you," Yatsuhashi mused. "They'd kill to be in your spot. You're the only guy in a team of girls."

"It's not all that great. They probably think that I'm something more with all of them." Ringo chuckled at that. "Which is a quarter of the truth I suppose."

"Where are your teammates anyway?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"Blake went to the library. I'm not sure where Ruby and Yang went off too. They said it was for something really important. And Weiss…" On queue, the lump from underneath the blanket shifted towards Ringo. "She's been here the whole time."

"What?" Yatsuhashi assumed that the lump was a pillow under the blanket. The lump settled beside Ringo, pressing itself directly on his side.

"Weiss stayed up all night finishing up some of her planning. I helped as much as I could but I got tired and hit the hay."

"You, sleeping normally?" Fox raised an eyebrow.

"It's surprising me too. It's been happening more frequently." Ringo rubbed the lump, specifically Weiss' back. "Enough of all this sappy stuff. I invited you two here for an important reason."

"I know what you're thinking, Ringo, what's so important that it requires three people to do it?" Ringo's face darkened. "Silver Junior needs to move to his new home."

Yatsuhashi found his seriousness amusing. "That's it? Why do you need the both of us?"

"Silver Junior doesn't want to move into his new home that Weiss bought for him." The nearby table had both cages on top of it. "I don't want to waste the cage that Weiss paid for. That's why I need your help."

"Easy." Fox sprang up and landed beside the table. Silver Junior was inside his old cage. He was wearing a small hockey mask. The moment he saw Fox, Silver Junior backed up.

"We're not going to hurt you." Yatsuhashi approached the hamster too. "Your new home is amazing. Even I'm jealous of it." Silver Junior stayed put, ignoring their tricks to get him in the cage.

"C'mon buddy," Ringo pleaded. "Weiss paid good money for that cage." He unhooked the opening.

"My hands are too big." Yatsuhashi compared his hands to the size of the opening.

"That's why my best friend, Fox will do the honors." Ringo pushed Fox towards his spot, patting his shoulder.

"Wonderful." Fox slapped his hand away. With Ringo's directions, he slipped his hand inside the cage. Silver Junior dodged all of Fox's hand swipes.

"Can't you just shake him out?" Yatsuhashi grabbed the cage and flipped it upside down. He shook it a couple of times. Silver Junior hanged on tightly, limbs wrapped on the cage.

Blake walked in the dorm. She saw the three guys trying to force Silver Junior out of the cage. Not wanting any part of this, Blake casually laid down on her own bed.

"Ringo?" Weiss stirred in her sleep. Realizing that Ringo was no longer next to her, she removed the blanket off of her and yawned.

"I'm surprised you're just now waking up," Blake said, checking the time.

"I have a valid reason." She rubbed her sleepy eyes. Weiss glanced at the scene, watching Fox, and Yatsuhashi being attacked by Silver Junior. Ringo did his best to stop the furious hamster but to no avail.

"Normal day?" Weiss spoke to Blake, seeing her ignore the cries of Yatsuhashi, and the grunts of Fox.

"Normal day."

* * *

The situation was resolved once Blake got involved. Silver Junior listened to her, hopping inside the new expensive cage. Yatsuhashi and Fox left after that, keeping in mind to be wary next time Ringo wanted them over.

"Wow, Blake! You're a lifesaver!" Ringo praised his teammate. "You're like the mother Silver Junior needs!"

Blake was caught off guard. She eyed Silver Junior, who was dozing off in his new home.

Weiss intervened, now fully dressed for the day. "Ringo, wouldn't I be the mother that your hamster needs?" In her perspective, Ringo was the owner of Silver Junior. It would only make sense if she was the mother.

"Eh… not really." Ringo stretched his wording with uncertainty. "Silver Junior doesn't like you. He likes Blake." He offered her an apologetic smile. "Don't take it too personally. Silver Junior is real picky about those he chooses to trust. Give it time. With our new adjustment, he has to trust you at some point."

Weiss frowned, "I suppose so."

"I'm sure Blake will more than gladly teach you how she did it."

"I will?" Blake's eyes narrowed at the mention of her name.

"Yes you will. You're teammates after all, aren't you?" Ringo grinned, pushing Blake closer to Weiss. "While you two go do that, I got to go."

Weiss grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Where are you off too? We don't have any plans for today."

"You may not, but I'm a pretty busy guy." Ringo had some arrogance in his voice.

"Busy? All you do is sleep," Blake murmured.

"And all you do is read. What's your point?" Ringo flicked Blake's forehead. Her eyes transformed into cat like slits, prompting Ringo to back up some.

"But yeah, Yang texted me. She wants me to meet her and Ruby near the statue. Apparently, they have a big surprise for me," Ringo recited what the text was about.

Weiss and Blake exchanged glances.

"Aren't you a little suspicious?" Weiss questioned him.

"Why would I? They're our friends. It's not like it's some sort of trick to get me to do their bidding!" Ringo laughed. His oddly specific wording made the two girls even more suspicious with their other teammates intentions.

"Then I'll go-"

"Sorry, you can't." Ringo cut Weiss off, pointing at his scroll. "Yang specifically texted, don't bring Weiss with you." He had the proof in his hands. That was enough for Weiss to put her foot down.

"Well… I forbid you to go." Weiss' order caused Ringo to flinch. Coco was usually the one to say those kinds of things to him.

"Weiss!" Blake tilted her head at the broken bathroom door, courtesy of Coco. They wouldn't get it fixed until next week, which has led to some awkward moments in the days without it.

"Huh…? Oh! Right!" Weiss got the message. "I mean, you can go if you want. I'm not controlling you or anything."

Ringo's face lit up. He gave a quick peck to Weiss' lips. "Aw, thanks Weiss! You're the best!"

"Y-you're welcome," Weiss stuttered. She regained her senses and pointed at Blake. "But Blake's going with you. That text said nothing about Blake."

"I am?" Blake was yet again pulled into doing something she hadn't agreed upon.

"Yes you are. You're teammates after all, aren't you?" Weiss smiled sweetly, using Ringo's words against her.

"I don't have listen to you." Blake wasn't going to be forced by Weiss to do something because, well… it's Weiss.

"Oh, but you listen to Ringo? Talk about unfair!" Weiss accused her of favoring Ringo's request instead of hers.

"That's different."

"How!?"

"I enjoy Ringo's company."

"What's wrong with my company?"

"No comment."

"Why you-"

"Weiss! Weiss!" Ringo stopped the heiress before she went off on Blake. "It's okay if Blake doesn't want to. I guess she isn't a team player."

"That isn't going to work on me." Blake caught on to what he was trying to do. Guilt tripping her wasn't going to work.

"Fine, fine. That's too bad. If Weiss wants you to go with me then it must be for a good reason. I was going to reward you quite handsomely if I do say so myself." Ringo whistled innocently, keeping his hold on Weiss.

"Reward?"

"Yep. It was going to be a secret top notch reward that only I could give you. Some might say it's the key to happiness. Magical. It paves the way to your future."

 _'H-he doesn't actually mean…?'_ Blake could only think of one thing when Ringo said that. Something that only he could give her? Happiness? Magical? A path for her future?

 _'No… he's with Weiss. There's no way he means a kiss as a reward.'_ Blake couldn't stop the light blush tinting her cheeks. She looked at Ringo, who winked at her. Then her eyes shifted to Weiss. She gave little attention to their conversation, focusing on applying her makeup.

"What's wrong, Blake? I thought you out of all people would enjoy this the most."

"...!" Blake's body straightened. Her jaw tightened. The faint blush remained on her cheeks.

 _'I would enjoy it the most? What does he mean by that? I haven't showed any interest in that lunatic.'_

Blake discreetly pointed at Weiss. Ringo waved it off.

"She has plenty enough as it is. You deserve it after everything you've done to help me get back up on my feet. Don't worry, it'll be our little secret. I know Yang would want in if she found out." He placed his finger on his lips.

 _'Th-that pig!'_ Blake was disgusted by what he was implying. After he had gotten on Weiss' back about being unfaithful, he was going to do the exact same thing.

She was going to go with it. Not because she wanted a kiss, but to teach him a lesson. Then, she'll tell everyone on the team. It's a fitting punishment for his appalling actions.

"Fine." Her one word response sounded forced. Ringo didn't seem to notice.

"Wonderful." Weiss shoved the two out the dorm. "Don't go do anything they tell you, doctor. And Blake, keep a close eye on him."

"You got it-" The door was shut behind them. "...honey. Yeesh. What's her deal?" Ringo rubbed the back of his head. "Meh. Let's go. Whatever those two have planned is sure to be great."

"Right." Ringo was up ahead. Blake glared daggers at the back of his head, wondering what in the world was going on within him

When they did arrive at the destined location. Ruby and Yang were there waiting. Ruby appeared downright anxious. Yang was confident in herself as usual.

"Yang! Ruby!" Ringo waved at them.

Yang's expression spelled happy. "Ring boy! There you are…" Happy turned into sour when she saw Blake with him. "...with Blake."

"Ah! Blake?" Ruby hid something behind her back, flustered.

"Hello?" Blake quirked an eyebrow, finding their behavior strange. Maybe Weiss was right having her come along with him.

"What's Blake doing here?"

"Well, you said Weiss couldn't come so she sent Blake in her place," He said, hand on Blake's shoulder. She moved away from him, making him chuckle nervously. "Anyway, what's up?"

"Weiss... smart girl. Can you give us a moment?" Yang didn't wait for his response. She pulled Ruby with her. The two were at a good distance away from them and began arguing.

Ringo sweatdropped. He looked at Blake and she merely shrugged.

"Ringo!" Another voice made itself known. Ringo turned to see Velvet run up to him.

"Oh, hey Velvet," He greeted her kindly.

"The others and I were wondering if you would like to meet up with us during lunch?" Velvet inquired cheerfully. "And no, Coco won't be there."

 _'That's because she's planning something really kind for the near future.'_ Velvet's voice rang inside of her mind.

Ringo observed the arguing sisters. Truthfully, it wasn't in his place to get in the middle of sisterly drama. That and he didn't want to get yelled at for picking a side.

"Um… sure. But can Blake come?" Ringo figured he might as well invite Blake. It was pointless bringing her if he wasn't going to interact with Ruby and Yang.

"Sure she can!"

"I can?"

"Yes you can. You're teammates after all, aren't you? You're more than welcomed."

 _'That's literally the third time someone said that to me.'_ Blake pursed her lips, wondering whether they were all aware of it somehow and that it was a joke.

"Cool. I can introduce the gang to you." He caught something out of the corner of his eye. It was neatly wrapped gift. He squinted at the tag, spotting his name on it. "Ooh. What a lovely gift for me."

Ringo went to collect the gift and came back. "This must be why they texted me to come here. Well, I'll make sure to thank them when they're done."

By now, Yang and Ruby were fighting. A cloud of dust surrounded them as they fought all over the area.

"Are they going to be okay?" Velvet asked worriedly when they collided into a group of nearby students.

"Sure. This happens more times than you think." Blake nodded, confirming his statement.

The three walked to the dining hall. Ringo and Velvet sparked a conversation. Blake just met Velvet, so she contributed less to the conversation.

"Has Cardin been giving you any more trouble?" Ringo secretly had a soft spot for Velvet. He got overprotective whenever someone was picking on her because of her ears.

Velvet enjoyed getting this type of treatment from Ringo. It made her feel safe, knowing that he was going to be there to handle bullies for her.

Even if he sometimes made them go insane.

"No. Cardin hasn't bothered me since that day you stopped him from picking on me." Velvet developed an inquisitive expression. "That's about it. Everyone from last year stopped bullying me too. I think you scared them after what you did to-"

"Ugh. Don't remind me of him."

"O-oh! Sorry!" Velvet apologized.

"It's fine. Besides, I already frightened the other first years. Nothing new."

"When did that happen?" Velvet asked, curious as to how he ruined his reputation so quick.

"There's this girl, Nora Valkyrie, that challenged me to a duel. She called me the easiest opponent out of Team RRWBY. Naturally, I had to show her what it's like when you're too damn arrogant. Can you believe that her semblance is a literal counter pick to mine? That girl absorbs electricity to gain more strength!"

"Wow… that ready does sound unfair. She probably thought she could pick up an easy win over you." Velvet followed along to his every word, in hopes of maybe impressing Ringo with her beliefs.

"I know, right? I showed her up, winning by technical knockout. The problem is, I made her cry and she stayed that way for a good while. That was when people viewed me as a maniac and began to avoid me. So basically, the norm."

"The norm?" Blake repeated.

"Yeah, the norm. Haven't I already told you this?" Blake shrugged. "Heh, that's something I would do. Long story short, I'm already used to this kind of hate. It doesn't bother me when I have my favorite faunus with me."

Blake perked up. She leaned closer to Ringo, expecting him to say her name.

She was wrong.

"Obviously, that's you Velvet." He low fived her, sharing happy smiles.

Blake cleared her throat, "Ahem."

Ringo turned to her innocently. "I'm sorry, Miss I like to keep things a secret and not expose it in front of untrusted strangers?"

"R-right." Blake fixated her composure. She wasn't sure what had gotten to her. Of course, saying it out loud would've exposed her secret as a faunus in disguise.

 _'I couldn't have been jealous of Velvet. I don't even know her.'_ Blake dispelled such thoughts from her head.

They came upon the dining hall and sat where Fox and Yatsuhashi were. They sensed his presence and gave him the cold shoulder.

"Oh come on! You're still sore because of that? Plenty of time has passed!"

"It's only been an hour," Yatsuhashi deadpanned.

"What did Ringo do?" Velvet asked, not knowing what transpired during the visit to Team RRWBY's dorm.

"The hamster." Fox lifted his arms, revealing light scratch marks made by Silver Junior himself.

"Silver Junior? No, he's an angel. He wouldn't do something like that." Yatsuhashi's jaw dropped while Fox grunted in annoyance. "Anyway, Ringo brought one of his new teammates for lunch."

"Ah, the hamster whisperer," Yatsuhashi mumbled quietly.

"It's Blake Belladonna, not hamster whisperer." Blake's excellent hearing caught what Yatsuhashi said.

"How did you-"

"Aye. No time for questions. Be polite and introduce yourselves." Ringo covered for Blake, realizing where Yatsuhashi was going for.

"R-right. I'm Yatsuhashi Daichi. Sorry about the comment." Yatsuhashi smiled awkwardly.

"Fox."

"And I'm Velvet Scarlatina. Pleasure to meet you Blake." She shook her hand. "Any friend of Ringo is a friend of mine."

"Likewise."

"Great!" Ringo clapped his hands, glad that they have gotten along so fast. "Now that you all are acquainted, we should feast!" Like magic, trays of food sat in front of each of them.

"Um…" Velvet's ears drooped because of the sight of meat on her plate.

"Whoops. Got that wrong." Ringo traded his tray of leafy greens with Velvet. Everyone began eating. Blake's eyes were specifically locked on with Ringo's tuna fish sandwich.

"So then I was like, nope not doing that, so I didn't hide, rather I just didn't want to be there."

"Like under any circumstance?"

"Exactly!" Ringo stared at Blake, finally catching on to her needy eyes. He instinctively tucked his sandwich closer to him. "Hmph. Get your own sandwich."

Ringo hovered the sandwich near his mouth. He was going to enjoy taking a big bite out of it. However, Blake's saddened eyes made him rethink his plan.

"Fine. Just take it." Ringo tossed the sandwich on her tray. Blake wasted no time in devouring the tuna fish sandwich. "Blake…" He sighed.

"Whatever. I'm not a fan of tuna anyway." He faced Fox next. "Having any trouble recently, Fox?"

Fox shook his head, continuing to eat his lunch.

Ringo explained when he saw Blake look on questionably. "He's blind. Uses his senses to detect stuff. So if I wrote this, he wouldn't be able to see it." He quickly scribbled down a random comment and showed it to Fox. Fox ignored him.

"So how does that work during battles?"

Ringo chuckled, "I don't really understand it either. It'd be better if Fox told you, but he's not much of a talker." To prove his point, Fox stayed silent during the whole conversation about him.

"Yatsuhashi is a ladies man. That dude loves to show off in front of the ladies." He smirked, much to the embarrassment of Yatsuhashi.

"You didn't have to tell her that." Yatsuhashi avoided everyone's gaze.

"And Velvet here's a total cutie." Ringo failed to notice the full blown blush on Velvet's cheeks. "Do you know how much people would die for someone with a shy persona like hers?"

"Stop!" Velvet whined, burying her red face on Yatsuhashi's shoulder. The guy in question patted her shoulder.

"What about you?"

"Me? I guess I'm the-"

"Lunatic?" Blake finished for him.

"What did you say, fish breath?" He brought his fist up, glowering at Blake. She did the same, ready to defend herself.

"Everyone's more active now." Yatsuhashi spoke in order to prevent a fight between the two. "With you gone, our year is volunteering in duels again."

Ringo smirked cockily. "I don't blame 'em. Locker Room Leader Ringo isn't there anymore to squash them."

"Didn't you go on a losing streak," Blake reminded him, causing Ringo to deflate.

"That doesn't mean the other students weren't afraid of him," Velvet defended him. "We all knew why he stopped trying. If he did try, we were in for a nightmare."

"By the way, how are you doing in battles?" Yatsuhashi asked him.

"Haven't lost a battle. I'm at nine wins now," Ringo told them proudly.

Blake frowned. His ego was expanding as the number of wins grew. He really did have an arrogant side when it came to people asking about his performance. Granted, it was an impressive feat. Though, one Pyrrha Nikos was tied with him.

The good thing was that he used his semblance less and relied more on his staff, Vinny. Weiss convinced him to use Shock Therapy less, which led to a more sane Ringo.

Velvet's scroll beeped. She read what was on it aloud. "Coco said she'll be here soon."

Ringo froze. "Oh. Uh… good thing I-I finished eating." He wolfed down the last of his food in seconds. "Nice catching up. I just remembered, Blake and I have somewhere to be. I'll see you guys later!" He grabbed Blake by the wrist and zoomed out of the dining hall.

"Nice… eating with you," Velvet said, though she was sure she couldn't hear her anymore.

* * *

Ringo and Blake entered their dorm not too long after. There was a note on his bed that Weiss left for him, stating that she was out with Pyrrha for some light training.

"I hope Weiss doesn't become as powerful of Pyrrha. We can't have three invincible people. It won't be as fun," Ringo muttered, storing the note inside his desk.

"Now, about that reward. I hope you're ready. There's no one here, perfect for our little secret!" Ringo rubbed his hands together.

 _'Here's my chance.'_ Blake prepared herself for channeling the biggest slap in her life. The two made eye contact, Blake's eyes widening. He approached her slowly, smiling alluringly.

 _'W-wait. This isn't how it's supposed to go.'_ Blake's heart pumped wildly. She backed up until her back was pressed against the wall. Her chest heaved up and down rapidly.

Ringo drew in closer. Blake unconsciously leaned forward, unable to stop her body from moving. She timidly closed her eyes and shakily puckered her lips.

Blake expected to feel another pair of lips collide with hers. When she didn't feel anything, she stopped leaning in and opened her eyes. Ringo had the most bewildered expression she had ever seen in her lifetime.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes looked down. In his hand was a wad of cash. "I was going to give you your reward and you just kept backing away from me, then you came closer to me, like _really_ close."

The realization struck Blake like a bullet.

 _'I am such a moron.'_ Blake's face reached a new level of redness. She banged her forehead on the wall, scolding herself for believing that his reward involved kissing. Of course it was going to be money! It's what he cherished the most, right before Weiss.

"Wait…" Ringo pieced in the pieces together. "You thought I was going to kiss you, didn't you? That's absurd! I was obviously talking about money a-and you're here puckering your lips at me!" He shared an equal level of embarrassment. Kissing Blake? He hadn't thought about it before. Now that he was, he couldn't get the image out of his head.

"Can we just forget about what happened? Please?" Blake begged, covering her eyes with her hands. This had to be the most embarrassing moment of her life.

"No, I think we should talk about this. You seemed ready to kiss me." Blake's eyes briefly turned red. "O-or we could forget about it. Yes, let's shall."

Blake groaned, sliding her back all the way to the floor. Ringo offered her her money, but Blake refused it at this point. He felt bad for her, it must have been equally as awkward for him too.

"Come on Blake, get up. You're not going to let some little mistake get you down, are you?" Ringo extended his hand out to her. "Don't be a pussycat. We can continue off on that book we were reading. Whaddya say?"

Blake thought about it for a good while. Ringo waited patiently. She reluctantly took his hand, accepting it.

"There she is!" Ringo pulled her up. "Don't feel too bad about it. Here." He placed his hands on her shoulders. Leaning down slightly, he kissed her cheek. His lips lingered on her cheek more than it should have. Blake's initial shock ended quickly. She closed her eyes, not stopping him.

When Ringo stepped back, he and Blake stared at each other. Their faces developed a light shade of red after the exchange.

"I kissed you after all. No need to feel silly now."

Ringo smiled before going to retrieve the book. Blake touched the area where he kissed her, wondering why there was a warming sensation arising within her chest.

"Oh. I forgot about that." Ringo saw the gift on his bed. The one from Yang and Ruby. He decided to open it first. "Must be something cool, like a drone, or money. Maybe some kind of device, dust? Or better yet…"

Blake heard him stop speaking. Curious, she glanced at his direction. The box was open. Ringo was staring at it, eyes widened. His entire face turned red. He mumbled some random nonsense as he stared at it.

"What's in it?" Blake came closer. Ringo yelped and quickly attached the lid back on top.

"Ah! It's nothing! Nothing! Hehe…" He hid the gift under his bed.

"You expect me not to go and find out myself?" Blake said, making Ringo realize his mistake of hiding the gift in front of her.

"Do that and I'll tell Weiss about what happened," He threatened.

They spent the next hour reading, neither talking to each other. They desperately wished to forget everything that occurred that past hour.

* * *

 **Second Author's Note: What is in the gift will be revealed later on. I felt it was a good point to end it there. I hate doing timeskips but I have to do them in order to progress to the beginning of Volume Two. I guess I like going in day by day, like in my Pokémon fic. Coco will still be in the harem. What she does to prove herself will be seen later on, not next chapter though. Speaking of which, the next chapter will be similar to this one, though focusing on Team RWBY more and possibly a battle between Pyrrha and Ringo.**

 **For the Nora inclusion, it's favoring including Nora in the harem with one maybe. It's still not decided so feel free to comment your view. That about it so stayed tuned.**


	12. Confessions

**Super** **Long Author's Note: Frankly, I hated writing this chapter, which is the second time that's happened to me. Not on the same story though. Everything just felt off and I rewrote some parts three times because it was stupid. I really took a look at the characters in this chapter and hated them. So I do apologize if this chapter is bad. Next chapter is the beginning of volume two, so hopefully following the script will benefit me after typing three original chapters in a row.** **I'm half sure it's because I've never written a harem story before so I wasn't really sure how to tackle it. This chapter does start the harem. Nothing too important happens other than that. Harem update is on the bottom by the way.**

 **Anyway, for those that don't play DBD, there's a new update that came up last week. Killer throws up on survivors, making them sick and throw up too. I'm just putting it out there that it does look like an interesting gross concept to write about.**

 **The Headless chicken: No worries. I understood it anyway.**

 **razmire: I personally agree. If it still ends in a tie, I'm making an executive decision and voting for Nora not be in the harem.**

 **Blaze1992: Yep, and here comes the awkward moments!**

 **Guest Q: Nice to see you back and I'm glad the newest chapters are to your liking. I've got your suggestions checked. For Neo, I remember someone else saying that bit of her possibly meeting Ringo before. While I never thought of it before, it does really set up their relationship if she does become apart of the harem. That's something to keep in mind for myself.**

 **FourLivingCreatures: Yeah, I can see your dislike towards Coco in the harem based on her behavior. Honestly, I never really planned on her being that cruel. It just sorta flowed as I wrote the story. It's already too late to change that anyhow. I appreciate your kind compliments. I think this is the second time I've heard someone mention Penny's father. Either I missed something or I'm stupid but I don't recall her having one? Anyway, the chapter name is pretty clever, not gonna lie. I stopped writing unique chapter names after my last story simply because they became harder to make up. Maybe I'll make an exception in the near future.**

 **With those generous reviews answered, enjoy the chapter… maybe. I still think it's bad.**

* * *

Ringo was training in the training room. It had been three weeks since he and Blake shared a rather awkward moment. He never told Weiss about it. It was for the best. Nothing important happened so there really wasn't any point in mentioning it.

Ruby was there with him. He asked her to tag along just in case something went haywire. Weiss was his first choice, but she was busy. Ruby was more than glad to accompany him.

"So what are you practicing? I haven't seen you train before." Ruby sat on top of a training dummy. She watched Ringo come by with his battle attire. The lab coat was an odd choice to wear. She wasn't one to judge. It was probably better suited for his battle style.

"Well, little red, I'm beginning to go back to my old roots. This win streak of mine needs to stay." Ringo faced one of the training dummies. "Back in the day, I used to be able to use electricity that harmed people physically. I only really use it to power up Vinny nowadays."

"And why do I have to be here?"

"Just in case I go a little crazy. No biggie." Ringo waved it off with a smile.

"That's a huge biggie! I've never dealt with the Doctor before!" Ruby protested, fully against it. If she were to mess it up, there most certainly will be consequences.

"True…" Ringo hummed. "I'm sure it won't happen. If it does, knock me out or something."

"Okay…"

Ruby watched him pushed his hands in a clapping motion. His hands didn't meet all the way. A strand of electricity formed between his hands. He pulled his hands further apart, increasing the length and power of the electricity.

"Nice. I still got it." Ringo put the training dummy to the test. Both of his hands latched onto the body of the dummy. The volts of electricity transferred from his hands to the dummy, resulting it shaking violently before being launched in the air.

"Only works close range. I got Shock Therapy for long range so it evens out," Ringo clarified for Ruby. "Now hop down from there, I need a new training dummy."

The previous dummy was left with many dark crisps surrounding its form. Ruby complied and allowed Ringo to use her dummy.

Ringo knocked the dummy down to the ground. Similar to before, Ringo had his hands between the dummy's head. Electricity ignited from his hands, penetrating through the dummy's head. The action lasted for a few seconds. Once he was done, Ringo snapped its neck, creating a small explosion.

Needless to say, the dummy's head popped right off. Black smoke emerged from the decapitated area, burnt like the other dummy.

"Whoa." Ruby backed up some. "You're not going to explode peoples heads off, are you?"

"Relax. It only exploded because it's a dummy. I'd say it'll fry your brain for a while though." That did nothing to reassure Ruby. She put on a tin foil hat. "You know aluminum foil is a conductor of electricity, right?"

Ruby drew a blank face.

"Forget it." He went back to demolishing more training dummies. "I thought we had better ones than this? What happened to them?"

Ringo thought back to last year. The training dummies were more advanced with the time than these plastic ones.

"Budget cuts?"

"No. Beacon is more well financed than that." He punched one of the dummies in the face. The impact was strong, but not overly powerful. "How about you hit it Ruby?"

Ruby found no issue with it and punched the dummy as hard as she could. The impact was significantly stronger than Ringo's.

"Geez. You're strong." Ringo eyed the youngest member of the team with approval.

Ruby puffed her chest proudly. "I have to be. It's how I can handle Crescent Rose so easily." She held up Crescent Rose. Ringo felt intimidated from the size of it alone.

An idea came to him. "We should create a team move just for us! Like a combination of our attacks for future duo and team battles!"

"Ooh!" Ruby's eyes had sparkles in them. "Combine our powers? It'll be super effective!" Ruby and Ringo high fived, ecstatic to work on their secret attack. "But what will we combine? Your semblance is going to make me crazy!"

"On the contrary, little red." Ringo thought this out through based on the past. "You're resistant to my semblance. You've never screamed when Shock Therapy hit you."

"Really?" To prove his point, Ringo raised his left hand. The electric field automatically appeared forward. Ruby stood there, unaffected by the effects.

"I'm guessing it affects you during a late Tier Two effect, maybe Tier Three of Madness. Tier One does nothing to you," Ringo said, confusing Ruby.

"Madness?"

It was then that Ringo remembered that even after all these months, he never fully explained his semblance to Ruby. He gave Ruby an explanation of his semblance, Shock Therapy. She listened on intently, so she wouldn't miss a thing.

Ringo left out some parts, including the real reason why his aura was split in half, his heart being a ticking time bomb, and how he came upon the semblance.

"Using your semblance too much turns you into the Doctor? Hmm…" She processed the new information. "Well, we can either use your electricity that physically harms or mentally."

"Let's try my electricity that physically harms first." Ringo cast a burst of electricity from within his hands and kept it in place.

Ruby inspected the electricity. Ideas on how to combine her arsenal with it flooded her mind. All of them failed once she further thought about it.

"I got it!" Ringo unleashed the electricity on the tip of Crescent Rose. "Transform it into a sniper." Ruby did just that. "Now fire!"

Ruby aimed for one of the dummies and fired. Right away, an explosion of electricity fired from the barrel. The bullet sniped through the dummies body, creating another burst of electricity when it hit. Red smoke came out of the bullet too, creating an amazing sight to behold.

"Cool!" Ruby and Ringo shouted in unison.

"Rank your precision on a scale of one to ten."

"Ten!" Ruby answered confidently.

"Hear me out. Those who are out of range of my field won't suffer any effect. If we combine Shock Therapy with a bullet of yours then the effects will come much faster."

The two tried this out. As planned, the bullet stayed inside the dummy's head. Shock Therapy originated from the head and spread throughout the entire body.

Feeling as if it wasn't enough, Ringo and Ruby practiced more team power moves throughout the day. They would've gone at it all night if it wasn't for Weiss coming by to see what was taking them so long.

"What in the world…" Weiss came in the training room and saw Ruby running around with electricity surrounding her body and leaving a trail of it combined with rose petals. Ringo was lifting up Crescent Rose above his head like it was paper.

"Ruby! Doctor! Do you have any idea what time it is?" Weiss scolded her two teammates. They continued to goof around, irritating the heiress.

"Watch this!" Ringo summoned a field of electricity in front of him. Ruby ran circles around the electricity, absorbing it all until there was no more. The amount of electricity surrounding Ruby was terrifying enough. She rammed one of the dummy's, making yet another huge explosion.

Weiss had to steel herself away from the explosion for safety. Fed up with them, she marched up to Ringo first and pinched his ear.

"Ow! Weiss!" Weiss dragged him to Ruby's direction next. She pulled on her ear too, eliciting a cry from Ruby.

"You two don't know when to stop, do you?" Weiss forced them through the embarrassment of her dragging them all the way to their dorm. People along the way sent questionable looks. None bothered to ask what was going on.

Weiss threw them inside the dorm and locked it tight on her way in. Yang and Blake were already in bed. They sat up once the three barged in.

"There you two are!" Yang hugged the two in a monster bear hug. They flailed their arms, attempting to escape Yang's grip. They both did eventually, though that was because Yang playfully threw them.

Ruby was flung to the wall, groaning. For whatever reason, Blake was up. Ringo crashed into her, sending both of the down on Blake's bed.

Ringo unintentionally pinned Blake on her bed. Their faces were mere inches apart. Blake's pupils shrunk into pinpricks. The odd feeling from yesterday returned.

"H-hey Blake…" Ringo said lamely. Blake wanted to push him off of her but her arms wouldn't budge. They were stuck frozen in place.

Weiss was the one to break their awkward moment. She yanked Ringo back, much to his and Blake's relief.

 _'Damn, is it always going to be awkward between Blake and I now?'_ Ringo held on to Weiss closely, discreetly wanting to keep his priorities intact. He was with Weiss. He shouldn't be having these thoughts about Blake.

So why was it so hard not too?

"Ringo. Blake. Do you have anything you want to tell me?" Weiss noticed the tension between Ringo and Blake. It was in her right to get to the bottom of it if there was anything more to their interaction.

"No!" Ringo and Blake responded at once. They looked at each other, developing light blushes once more.

"There's definitely something up." Yang jumped in the conversation. She eyed the two with a sly smirk on her face.

"What's up?" Ruby twirled around in a dazed state from hitting the wall.

"Ringo…" Weiss' glare hardened. Sweat began to drop from Ringo's forehead. There was no way he was going to tell Weiss what happened. It was too embarrassing and she might take it the wrong way.

"Fine. You got us," Ringo sighed. Blake fidgeted uncomfortably. "We're secretly planning a surprise for the team!"

"We are?"

"You are?" The team all shared confused glances. Blake herself was not aware of this.

"Yeah! We are! Right Blake?" One second he was standing next the Weiss. The next second he was sitting next to Blake.

"Just play along," He whispered to her.

"Yes. We're planning something," Blake added in to Ringo's secret plan to get them out of the clear.

"Oh, so what are you two planning?" Weiss badgered them with more questions.

"Can't tell you. It's a surprise ready for tomorrow!" He blurted out more lies, regretting them as they came out his mouth.

Blake pinched his arm, opting him to squirm.

"A surprise, huh? You better not be lying Ringo."

"I promise I'm not!" Ringo assured her. "In fact, we're going to finish up our surprise right now!" He grabbed Blake's hand and left the dorm.

Ringo let go of Blake once they were out of the dormitory building. Blake slugged Ringo on the shoulder.

"Okay! Okay! I get it!" Ringo distanced himself from the angry cat faunus. "It was at the heat of the moment. Were you going to be the one to tell Weiss that you wanted to ki-" He was met with another punch on the shoulder.

"We agreed to never speak about that!" She hissed.

Ringo felt exhausted after spending the day in the training room with Ruby. Now he and Blake had to plan a surprise for everyone on the team for tomorrow. That left them hours to do all of this.

"We're nightowls. You can stay up a night, correct?" Blake nodded.

"Then I guess we got a surprise to plan."

* * *

Blake and Ringo decided to do something Ruby related first. The number one thing they could think of for Ruby was her favorite treat, cookies. It came to them easily, which was why they started with her first.

Problem is, neither of them were master cooks.

"I know how to cook a little. The White Fang taught me a thing or two back then," Ringo said.

He led her to the kitchen. Having gone on a few midnight snack runs himself, he was familiar with the surroundings. No one really thought about the people who made the food. Ringo got curious one day and explored the dining hall at night. He found the kitchen and enjoyed the food.

The cooks later found him passed out on the floor and banned him from the dining hall for a week. His team had to bring him food to solve his hunger.

"I don't have any experience," Blake admitted.

"Really? I thought they taught everyone in the White Fang how to cook." Ringo remembered that a lot of kids his age were taught how to cook by the adults. He only attended a few lesson because he wasn't an official member of the White Fang so he had no need to be there.

"I had other people to do it for me." Blake left it at that without any explanation. She looked on while Ringo silently read the ingredients off his scroll.

"Okay. This shouldn't be too bad." With Blake's help, they got the ingredients all sort out.

"You know how to crack eggs at least?" Ringo asked. Blake hesitantly nodded. "Good. I'll take care of this bowl while you do that." He already did the job of putting in the necessary ingredients and stirring them.

Blake had a single egg in her hand. She hovered it over the bowl and crushed it with her hand. The results were messy.

The yolk splattered on both the bowl and on her hand. Blake shook the remains on her hand off and put them in the bowl. Ringo saw this and immediately rushed over.

"No, no, no. You don't crack an egg like that!" Ringo saved the second egg from Blake. "It's like this." He tapped it on the edge of the bowl. Once there was a crack, he gently ripped the egg in half. The yolk fell in the bowl with grace.

"Continue stirring. You can't mess that up." Ringo gave her a pat on the back and resumed what he was previously doing.

 _'Right.'_ Blake clutched the hand mixer in her hand. She surprised herself when she didn't actually mess up. Stirring was really as easy as it sounded.

"Great!" Ringo smiled, pleased with the outcome. He took the bowl from Blake and finished up the rest of the tasks. He placed the globs of cookie batter on two trays and put them inside the oven.

"That's that." He turned on the oven and let it do its magic. "I think we should do Weiss next. I know her well enough to know what she would like."

"What's that then Romeo?" Blake replied sarcastically.

Ringo grinned deviously, unsettling Blake.

* * *

"A coupon for one free… what?" Blake couldn't believe what she was seeing. She glanced back at Ringo, who proudly wore a confident smirk on his face.

"Your eyes do not deceive you. I believe it's about that time. Weiss already has the money to buy anything she wants so I can't really buy anything for her. What I'm doing can only be given by me, so it's perfect!" He explained his reasoning for his gift.

Blake had the strange desire to crumple up the slip of paper. It didn't sit well with her, even though Ringo and Weiss were technically dating.

"You have to find a new gift." Blake outright ripped the slip of paper. She did what she believed was right.

Ringo scooped up the shredded piece of paper. "Nooo! Blake! But why!?"

"You're giving away sex on a coupon!" Blake shuddered just by mentioning it. He was basically giving himself to Weiss.

"What else am I supposed to give a Schnee? She has everything!" Ringo shouted in frustration. "It's my body! I'll do as I please with Weiss."

Ringo turned around with the ripped piece of paper in hand. When he faced Blake again, the slip of paper magically was repaired.

"Let's forget about it for now. We need Yang's gift." Ringo couldn't think of anything for Yang either so he began writing down something else on another slip of paper.

"Ringo…"

"Relax. It's a favor coupon. Put down those claws of yours." Ringo stuffed the two coupons inside his pocket. "I don't want to spend too much time on this as it is. I want to go bed with Weiss. Can you keep an eye on the cookies? Please."

Ringo did his best impression of puppy dog eyes. He momentarily forgot that Blake was a cat faunus, meaning his tactics wouldn't work on her.

Blake put her foot down. "I'm not doing this by myself."

"Not even in the name of love?" Blake shook her head, prompting him to sigh. "Fine. Have it your way." He laid down on the the counter. The bag of flour was used as a pillow for him.

Ringo stretched in a feline manner, clearly mocking Blake. He fished out his scroll and set an alarm for two hours from now.

"I suggest you get some shut eye too. We got classes tomorrow." Weiss berated him whenever he slept in class. In order to make her happy, he slept at a reasonable time. It was much easier when Weiss was there with him.

"I'm fine." Blake stood next to the oven, waiting for the cookies to be done. Ringo shrugged. In a couple of minutes, he fell asleep.

Being the only awake person in the kitchen, Blake released the cry of frustration that she was holding in.

Things were so much simpler before that fateful day. Going back now, Blake wished that she would've ignored Weiss in tagging along with Ringo. Then, it wouldn't be so awkward between them.

The cat faunus stared at Ringo's sleeping face longer than she would like to admit. She felt tiny knots forming in her stomach. It was a feeling that occurred more frequently when she made eye contact with him.

Blake couldn't fully comprehend these feelings. She was an introverted person. Expressing her feelings was a big no in her book. She wasn't sure if she wanted to express them in the first place.

Getting in between Ringo and Weiss would be morally wrong of her. Though, Weiss did the same exact thing with him and Coco. The only difference was that Ringo deserved to get out of that unhealthy relationship. With Weiss, he was as happy as a bug in a rug.

Blake kept an eye on the door, checking to see if anyone was secretly watching them, particularly the staff. Once the coast was clear, she slowly approached Ringo.

She climbed on top of the counter and straddled his midsection. Her upper body leaned in closer so that her face neared Ringo's. Blake had a conflicted expression on her face.

 _'No. I can't do it.'_ Blake reeled back. She thought about Weiss. Upsetting the heiress was something she couldn't bear doing. If Weiss broke up with Ringo, it would devastate him.

 _'I shouldn't be selfish just to fulfill my desires.'_ Blake rested her head on his shoulder. She remained in that position until Ringo's alarm rang. Blake quickly detached herself from him.

"Uwah!" Ringo sat up at the sound of his loud alarm. "Oh man! I just had the craziest dream that Weiss eloped with me and we lived off in my treehouse!" His straight face was replaced with a goofy smile. "Heh heh, and she redeemed that coupon."

Blake rolled her eyes. "You're disgusting."

"Hey, it's not like we haven't already done intimate acts. Cut me some slack." Ringo got up and went to turn off the oven. He opened it, revealing an aesthetically pleasing batch of chocolate chip cookies. The fresh aroma scent hit his nostrils.

"Success! Ruby will love these!" Ringo dumped the cookies inside a container. Hopefully, Ruby wouldn't mind that they weren't warm. The taste should be sufficient enough.

"We can head back to the dorm. Our mission is done." Ringo waited at the door patiently. Blake followed, a bit down in the dumps. He hugged her with one arm. "Thanks again for helping. I'm sorry for the snarky comments. You're a good _friend_."

 _'Ouch.'_ Blake internally cringed. Nevertheless, she accepted his brief hug. When the door opened, someone was waiting for them outside.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the freak and his little friend."

Cardin was the one who was behind the door. For some reason, he was alone. A huge arrogant smirk was plastered on his face.

"Can we save this for tomorrow. I want to get back to my Weiss." Ringo attempted to move past Cardin. He prevented him from doing so.

"I'm sure that stuck up princess won't be happy to see… this!" Cardin presented him his scroll. On it was a picture of Blake straddling Ringo's hips. "And this!" The next picture was of Blake resting on top of him. "This is the best of them." The final picture was of Blake getting personal with Ringo. The angle from which it was taken made it appear as if she was kissing him.

"Blake…" Ringo was beyond shocked by the pictures. It was taken without his consent and Blake was doing things to him while he was asleep.

"N-no…" Blake's heart dropped. What she feared would happen came true. Somehow, Cardin managed to be sneaky enough to avoid her scouting. "It isn't what it seems. I didn't kiss you." Blake tried to defend herself. It was hard to do so when the picture was right there.

"What's your game Cardin?" Ringo ignored her and focused in on Cardin.

"I've been keeping an eye on you. That Schnee is your weakness point, right behind that hamster of yours." Cardin hid the fact that he tried to kidnap Silver Junior. The hamster put up a fight, which led to Caridin going after Weiss instead. "With these pictures, it'll ensure the end of your relationship!"

With a dark laugh, Cardin bolted from the area.

"Ringo. I wasn't kissing you. Those pictures were angled to make it seem like I was," Blake said, almost letting panic overcome her.

"You swear on your life?" Ringo questioned, keeping his cold stare on her.

"I swear." Never did Blake lose her composure. It proved to Ringo that she was indeed telling the truth. Knowing that much about Blake's body movement led him to come up with this conclusion.

Ringo pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Dammit. It can't be helped now. I have to tell Weiss the truth and risk the future of our relationship. Wonderful." Without another word, Ringo departed, leaving Blake alone.

When she did return to the dorm, she saw Ringo in his bed with Weiss. He was holding on to her tightly, like if his life was depending on it. She noticed that his eyes were wide awake.

Blake didn't blame him. She wasn't going to get any sleep either.

* * *

Classes went by without Ringo and Blake uttering a word. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss wondered what was up with them. They didn't have to wait long. There was only one class left. After that, they would receive their surprises and find out what was bothering them so much.

"Alright students. Today we're solely having duo battles," Professor Glynda announced. "This time, it'll strictly be volunteering. Who is up to the challenge?"

"We will!" Ringo exclaimed, volunteering himself and Ruby.

"Cool!" Ruby was excited to try out some of the power moves they worked on yesterday. The two stepped onto the stage.

"Who will be challenging Miss Rose and Mr. Yin?" The eager students soon quieted down into nothing more than cricket chirps. No one had the galls to challenge Ruby and Ringo. "Miss Nikos?" Remembering that Pyrrha wanted a duel with Ringo, Glynda asked her first.

"No thanks professor," Pyrrha politely declined for two reasons. One that she yearned for a one on one battle against Ringo. The second being that Jaune absolutely refused to go up against Ringo.

"See that?" Ringo spoke to Ruby. "This is what it's like to be a winner. Everyone doesn't want a piece of you." He tried to spot Cardin in the crowd of students. Strangely, he was nowhere to be seen. His teammates were there though.

"A winner?" Ruby didn't enjoy this type of treatment. She liked it when people challenged her willingly. It was a part of the fun and good sportsmanship.

"We will!" A random duo stepped up to the challenge. They consisted of a guy and a girl respectively. They looked like nothing special in Ringo's opinion.

The guy had a pair of axes in his possession, while the girl wore a pair of gauntlets, similar to Yang's choice of weapon.

"Hm… I don't think I've faced any of you before," Ringo hummed. "No matter. You'll make excellent additions to my fifteenth win."

"That's where you're wrong!" The guy yelled. "We're going to be the first people to defeat you with the power of friendship!" He and his teammate high fived each other.

"Okay?" Ringo scratched his head. "Ruby, we gotta hit 'em with power move technique number eleven."

"Roger!" Ruby saluted. The two duos got into position.

"The battle starts now!"

"We'll finish you off with one move." Ringo channeled his Shock Therapy on the ground. He smiled sinisterly once the screams of the two opponents came through.

"Woohoo!" Ruby ran circles around the two screaming challengers. Ringo applied one more dose of Shock Therapy where they were. With Ruby's speed, the electricity increased in height around the area where the two unfortunate opponents. This also raised their Madness quickly.

"Ruby! That's enough!" Ringo ordered her to stop after fighting back his more cruel plans. Ruby halted her running, standing next to her teammate.

"That girl is out of it," Ruby said, examining her fallen form. The guy was still struggling to stand up.

"I got this." Ringo crouched down on one leg to meet his level. "What's your name?"

The guy glare intensified. "I-It's-"

"Don't care." Ringo placed a finger on the guy's forehead, sending a volt of electricity. The battle was over that fast. "This is when we showboat to the crowd, little red."

Ringo came closer to the edge of the stage and began to taunt the students, specifically the team of his opponents.

Ruby smiled awkwardly. Unlike Ringo, she helped their opponents get back on their feet. "Hehe. Sorry about that," She apologized. The two sat there, humiliated by their quick defeat.

"Mr. Yin and Miss Rose won without taking any sort of damage. Impressive." Professor Glynda nodded her head. "Unless, anyone else wants to take a crack at it?" No one wanted to take a crack at it. "Alright, you four off the stage. We'll have our next battle shortly."

Ringo and Ruby hopped off the stage. He was slightly disappointed that she chose to not gloat with him. In the end, it didn't matter. They still won in a dominant fashion

"Honestly Doctor, was that really necessary?" Weiss wasn't on board with his level of arrogance. It only came out during battles, which confused her the most. The Doctor hadn't escaped, so why was he acting like this?

"They're gonna boo me. I think it's fair if I retaliate," He argued. It was a valid point.

"Even so, responding to them makes it worse on both sides."

"We so have to practice some of those power moves, Ring boy! That looked awesome!" Yang gushed over their amazing display of power.

"Sure we can." Ringo looked at his scroll. "I have to go and get that surprise ready. Meet me in the dorm once you all are done. Come on, Ruby." He invited Ruby to tag along since they were already finished for the day.

"Right behind you!"

During their walk back to the dorm, Ringo decided to seek for Ruby's help.

"Have you seen Cardin at all today?" He asked. There was something not right. Cardin would be boasting that he had an upper hand on Ringo. Maybe he might've shown it to Weiss bright and early.

That idea had a significant flaw. Ringo made sure he was with Weiss all throughout the day. Cardin hadn't shown up once.

"Cardin?" Ruby rubbed her chin in thought. "I haven't seen him at all today. Why do you want to know where he is?"

"No reason." Ringo whistled innocently.

Once in the dorm, Ringo went straight to his desk. The container of cookies were still there. They waited for a good hour until the rest arrived from class.

When they did, they saw Ruby beat up Ringo with a toy hammer. It made a squeaky sound with each hit.

"Ruby, why are you hitting Ring boy?" Yang pulled Ruby away, stopping her rampage.

"He doesn't want to give me my cookies!" True to her word, Ringo had the container of cookies hidden under his stomach.

Somehow, Ruby sniffed out the scent from inside the container. How she did that was a complete mystery.

"If you wait patiently then I'll give it to you!" Ringo sat up and opened the lid. "Blake and I graciously made you these cookies. The least you can do is thank us."

Ruby shyly poked her index fingers together. "Can I please have those cookies?"

"I don't know, _caaaan_ you?" Ruby let out a whine. "Say it!"

"May I please have those cookies?" Ringo dumped the cookies on her bed. Ruby dived right in, gobbling the cookies in one bite.

"What's for me, Ring boy?" Yang smiled widely. Her gift had to be just as good as Ruby's, maybe even better. Ringo wasn't one to let people down. Her smile faded once Ringo handed her a slip of paper.

"Gee, I can see how much thought you put into this." Yang frowned, feeling like her gift was a last minute one. She flipped it around. Reading what was on it, a Cheshire cat grin appeared on her face. "Ooh! You bet your cute face that I'm going to put this to good use. And for anything?" Yang thought of plenty of things she could request out of Ringo. All of which involved something suggestive.

"And this is for Weiss." Ringo saved her gift for last. Weiss showed no excitement for it because it was another slip of paper. He put his hands behind his back and smiled broadly.

Weiss read over the words slowly. Her face resembled that of a tomato. Her eyes almost bulged out of its sockets.

"R-ringo! What kind of gift is this!?" Weiss shrieked. Ringo staggered, not expecting the denial of his gift.

 _'Knew it.'_ Blake watched Ringo try and save the situation.

"Well what else am I supposed to give you? You already have everything!" Ringo shouted back.

"Anything would've been better than this!"

"So you don't love me anymore?" Ringo wore a teary face. "Hmph! Maybe I'll give it to Yang then! Give it here!" He snatched the coupon from her hand and proceeded to hand it to Yang.

"No!" Weiss jumped on his back. "I'll take it! Just don't give it to her!" Yang was the type of person who would definitely take advantage of the coupon. Who knew how long they would go at it. Probably all night.

"I've already made up my mind. You can take the air as your gift!" He liked poking fun of Weiss. Seeing her act so anxious was a joy to behold unlike her strict attitude.

"Fine. I promise I'll use the stupid coupon." Weiss groaned when Ringo held up a pinky. She wrapped her own pinky around his. "There. Happy?"

"Very." Ringo looked at Blake, preparing himself for what's to come. "Actually, Weiss. There's something that I have to tell you. It's about Blake and I."

Blake stiffened, panicking on the inside.

"Privately," Ringo added in, eyeing the curious faces of Yang and Ruby. Acknowledging his serious tone, Weiss followed Ringo out the door. Blake absentmindedly followed.

They walked all the way up the dormitory roof. It was more private since no one really came up here.

Blake and Ringo were currently cowering against the wall as Weiss' intimidating form towered over there.

"Alright. I knew something was up. Spit it out! Both of you!" Weiss barked.

Ringo pushed the responsibility on Blake. "It's Blake's fault so it's best if she explains herself." Blake clawed his arm. "Ow! Hey! I'm not the one who tried to take advantage of the unconscious!"

"She did what!?"

"Thanks." Blake gritted her teeth. She faced Weiss, guilty by the second because of the look of betrayal on her face. "There's no easy way to tell you this."

"No easy way?! He's implying that you were having your way with him!" Weiss exploded, as expected.

"Those pictures that Cardin showed you aren't what they seem," Blake said, attempting to defuse the situation.

"What's Cardin got to do with this?"

It was then that Ringo and Blake came up with the same conclusion. Cardin never showed Weiss anything. He was either going to blackmail them or he chickened out. They ultimately had no reason to bring Weiss out here.

"Erm… can we forget everything that's been said?" Ringo mumbled sheepishly.

"No!" Weiss scowled. "After everything that I've done to you, this is how you repay me!?"

"Again! This is all Blake! I still love you!" Ringo threw Blake under the bus yet again. He bowed his head multiple times.

Blake smacked the back of his head on his way down, sending him crashing to the ground. "Cardin took pictures of us last night to make it seem like I was taking advantage of him. He said he was going to show you so he could break your relationship," She explained.

"Were you going to take advantage of him?" Weiss asked. Ashamed, Blake peered down at the ground in order to avoid her piercing glare.

"Ehehe! I'm sure it was just teenage hormones. Something along those lines," Ringo cut in, his words sounding both lame and reasonable.

"Teenage hormones, huh?" Weiss thought it was a stupid excuse. Yet, it was plausible at this point of their lives. She came up with a solution to prove this theory. It was a solution she despised. "If it were teenage hormones then all you have to do is let it all out. A kiss should be sufficient enough."

"What?" Ringo and Blake's eyes turned into dots.

"Go on and kiss," Weiss repeated herself. "If it really is teenage hormones then a kiss should get rid of these feelings. _When_ it is, we can all go back to living our normal lives."

"And you're okay with this?" Blake asked seriously.

"Just go on already before I change my mind!" Weiss growled.

Ringo and Blake looked at each other. None were sure whether they should go with it now that Weiss was there to watch them.

An angel appeared on Ringo's left shoulder. Instead of it being a miniature version of himself, it was of a Chinese woman who wore a blue collar shirt and had bangs. "You have to stick with Weiss. You're not even in love with Blake!"

"Um… hey Feng Min. Been working on generators lately?" Weiss and Blake gazed at him oddly, wondering why he was talking to himself.

Another figure appeared on his right shoulder. This one dressed very similar to him. It was of an African American man with a dirty lab coat and a metal brace on his head that kept his eyelids and mouth open. He was holding a pointed weapon with sharp spikes around it.

The man laughed. "No! Take both!"

"Doctor?" Ringo scratched his cheek. "Wait. Since you're my inner devil, shouldn't you be the one who says to stick with Weiss and vice versa?"

"Sin of Lust my dear boy!" The doctor chortled madly. "Shag them both!"

Ringo shook his head rapidly. "Alright! I've had enough of you two. I know what I'm going to do so shoo! Go back to the never ending nightmare!"

"Copy!" Feng Min tossed firecrackers near the Doctor before disappearing with a lantern in hand.

"My eyes!" The Doctor cried out before vanishing too.

"Ringo?" Weiss snapped her fingers right in front of him. Ringo broke out of his trance and pushed Weiss aside. He approached Blake with one goal in mind.

"I was always a cat person." Blake was about to say something until Ringo smashed his lips against hers. The kiss between them was the first one that they had shared. Surprisingly, Blake's lips were soft, and delicate. Intrigued, Ringo put his hands on her hips, pulling her in to deepen the kiss.

At first Blake didn't react. Her mind was on overdrive. The kiss came out of nowhere. She had no time to prepare for it. Ringo was being forward way too quick for her. Her ears twitched happily from underneath her bow. It was a sign that she was enjoying it.

Ringo became a little more daring and slid his tongue into her mouth. Blake let out a small gasp, feeling his tongue dominate hers. Completely absorbed in the kiss now, Blake placed her hands on his chest, kissing back gently.

He removed Blake's bow, exposing her cat ears. Ringo petted her ears with one hand while keeping the other on her hips.

Weiss impatiently tapped her foot, waiting for them to finish up. She couldn't help but feel an immense pang jealousy strike her chest. Naturally, watching Blake kiss her boyfriend annoyed her immensely, even if she gave them permission.

"Okay. That's enough!" Weiss snapped.

Ringo and Blake broke apart. A trail of saliva followed their departing lips. He stared at Blake, seeing her in a new light. He recalled each memory he had with her. How she was there to support him, even when he during his emotional slump several weeks ago.

Ringo saw a small smile grace her lips. The gesture reminded him of Weiss. Blake rarely smiled, much like Weiss. It was calming in a sense. It verified her genuine happiness.

He would be lying if he said he didn't feel something for Blake now.

Blake was quite fond of the warmth radiating from her chest. It felt… good. It only confirmed that this wasn't merely just teenage hormones. She actually liked Ringo, the guy she first opened up with at Beacon and she was half sure that she was one of the first people he opened up with.

"You two can stop holding each other now," Weiss said, irked.

"Wow. Who knew Blake Belladonna actually expressed emotions?" Ringo continued to pet Blake's cat ears. "And I managed to woo her over without knowing that I did. I must be great."

"Don't get too full of yourself," Blake deadpanned. She cracked a small smile soon afterwards, indicating that she was kidding.

"That's great and all but Ringo and I should be heading to sleep." Weiss latched onto his and jerked him away from Blake.

"This early?" Blake narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Yes. Now let's go! We've already established this is just hormones doing the talking. This is over." Weiss harshly dismissed.

"I-I guess. I don't want to distress you in any way." Ringo didn't want to ruin his relationship with Weiss. It was one of the few things he cherished greatly.

Weiss smiled, satisfied with his response. Blake looked hurt, until Ringo reassured her with a quick hug.

He whispered in her ear, "You're welcome anytime." Then he left with Weiss.

Blake watched them leave, formulating a plan on how to make everyone happy.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Team CFVY's dorm, Velvet returned to the dorm. Everything seemed relatively normal. Coco for once was relaxing on her bed.

Deciding to take a shower, Velvet opened up her and Coco's closet. What she saw inside made her shriek.

"There's a boy tied up in the closet!" Velvet hid behind Yatsuhashi, terrified out of her mind.

"Isn't that the guy who used to pick on you?" Yatsuhashi identified the guy as Cardin Winchester, who was tied up in the closet for some peculiar reason.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about him." Coco sprang up. She held a scroll in her hand. "I woke up late at night and I wandered the building for a while. I found this bozo laughing like an idiot saying that he was going to sabotage Ringo with some pictures. So I beat him up and deleted the pictures. To teach him a lesson, I tied him up and stuffed him in the closet for the day."

Yatsuhashi and Velvet stared at her, shell shocked at what she's done.

"Really?" Fox asked.

"Really. Now help me make this seem like an accident."

* * *

Taking Ringo up on his offer, Blake chose to sleep next to him. Problem was that Weiss was none too pleased with this arrangement.

"I can't believe I have to share my own boyfriend," Weiss grumbled, laying on top of Ringo so Blake wouldn't try anything funny.

"Aw! But look at her. She's cute like this!" Ringo received affection from Blake in the form of purring.

"Well… at least Yang isn't with us." On queue, Yang took Ringo's other side, already in her pajamas.

"Someone call for me?" Yang cooed. Weiss groaned louder, burying her face onto Ringo's neck. "Chill out, Ice Queen. Heh, get it?"

"Shut up." Weiss clenched onto Ringo tighter.

"Anyway, you need to learn to share. Especially with someone as packed as… this!" Yang groped his crotch, eliciting a gasp from him.

"Y-yang!" Ringo squirmed uncomfortably, feeling Yang beginning to massage his more private area.

"Aren't you a little curious? I know I am~" Yang almost slipped her fingers inside his pants until Weiss slapped her hand away.

"One, it doesn't matter what size it is. Two, keep your hands away from him," Weiss stated, blushing furiously.

"Already hit the homerun? I would've thought you'd at least have taken several more months," Yang said cheekily. "Also, whatever deal you two got with Blakey there, I want in too."

"What? No way! I haven't even agreed on Blake being h-" Weiss paused. She felt something touch her. "Ringo…"

Ringo panicked. "That is totally not my fault! It… it hasn't calmed down yet." Truth be told, Ringo wasn't sure if his growing erection would ever stop. He had three girls in bed with him for pete's sake!

Yang's sly grin widened. "I'll help!"

"No! Sod off Yang!" Weiss shooed her.

"Unless you want to sleep with that thing poking you all night, I suggest that someone handles it." Yang had Weiss trapped and she knew it. Too bad that she was one step ahead of her.

"Then we'll let Doctor sleep alone." Weiss removd herself from her partner. The disappointment on Yang's face was plain to see.

"You're no fun," Yang pouted. She quit her teasing and returned to her own bed. "Hey, what about Blake?"

"She's already asleep. You should do the same!" Weiss exclaimed from her own bed. She tossed and turned frequently. The last time she even slept on her bed was roughly a month ago. It will be worth it. She wasn't going to let Yang peer pressure her so easily.

Ringo was saddened that Weiss chose to sleep in her own bed tonight. He liked having someone to hold when he slept.

Ringo's eyes shifted to Blake. She curled up next to him, sleeping peacefully. Her head nestled on his neck. Blake's cat ears twitched against his chin.

 _'I wonder…'_ Ringo lightly nipped on the edge of her cat ears.

"Nyaaa…" Blake purred in her sleep.

 _'Holy shit. That is cute.'_ He pressed his luck. He bit a little harder. This time around, Blake moaned and bit Ringo's neck.

 _'Ow! Son of a bitch!'_ Ringo retracted his body back. Blake's sleeping form was having none of that. She scooted towards his form, seeking comfort.

 _'Stupid kitty.'_ He allowed her to snuggle on his shoulder. _'Note to self: Don't bite Blake's ears too hard.'_

His thoughts oddly drifted towards Penny. Even though he still kind of held a grudge for her, he secretly thanked her for bringing up polygamy relationships the day they met.

The concept of it remained weird to Ringo, but it seemed like he had no other choice here. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Weiss would approve of it. In the end, he still wanted to be with Weiss.

Yet, Blake was something else. She went from the quiet teammate into one of his most trusted friends. His feelings for her didn't shine until after the kiss they shared. It was confusing. Having feelings for two different girls. Did that make him a bad person?

That's why he let Blake sleep with him. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, nor Weiss' feelings too. Love certainly did have a way of bringing the true self of someone.

To test his feelings again, Ringo placed a small kiss on Blake's lips. A jolt of excitement went through him as he did so. He wasn't the only one. In her sleep, Blake cracked a smile when he pulled back.

 _'This is so confusing.'_ Ringo brought Blake closer to him. He was content with having Blake in his arms. Her purring was quiet, but still audible for Ringo's ears.

 _'But it isn't so bad.'_

* * *

 **Second Author's Note: So yeah, Blake is in their little relationship now. Yang will be too shortly. Ruby will take just a little while longer. I made Weiss be against having Blake and Yang around for the same reason as Ringo. It's a weird and foreign concept to them.**

 **As for the harem, the final draft will be revealed either next chapter or the one after so no more suggestions will be considered after that. Get in your suggestions soon if you choose to.**

 **Next chapter is the beginning of Volume Two so look forward to that. It'll be much better than this chapter. That said, stay tuned.**


	13. Best Day Ever

**Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter is mainly referencing DBD, despite it being when the episode takes place. I said I wanted to incorporate The Plague in some way and I did. Now, each chapter won't be like this. In fact, only rarely will I do something like this since this isn't a true story crossover. For those of you who don't know DBD, it'll be hard to follow along. To those that do, that's good. It's a shorter chapter than usual, but I think it's short and gets to the point.**

 **I just want to add that I do not hate Neptune. This chapter may seem like I'm bashing him so I'm just putting it out there.**

 **Just to say this one last time, this is one of the few chapters to revolved around DBD. It won't be like that forever because in the end it's still a RWBY fanfic.**

 **The Headless chicken: Thanks! I try my best! The creators were right, Blake is hard to write about.**

 **razmire: I never took your review that way. I love every review I get. Don't think you gave off that impression, you're fine. You're right on the ball with my reasoning to Ruby joining a bit later. And yeah, that would be hilarious.**

 **Lelouch-Strife: I don't even know how to write F/F so I think you'll be glad to hear that.**

 **Guest: Dude, you're literally making a lot of sense. That can be a way to incorporate Neo. I may take your advice into consideration. Also, I still think Nora would be better suited for Ren, sorry. The final harem list should be out by the next chapter so you'll see then if she made.**

 **Blaze1992: Snu-Snu!**

 **With those reviews answered, enjoy the chapte**

* * *

On one particular night, Ringo began to have a dream. No, not a happy dream. More like a never ending nightmare.

He's had this particular dream every so often. It followed the same format, but there was always something different. Different people, different places, different items.

This time was no different.

Ringo was at a ominous location filled with many cornfields and dead animals. He dubbed this location as the Coldwind Farm Realm. There wasn't anything significant in the area. There were at least one big crane, some wooden pallets, big trees, and the occasional random walls.

 _'The Rotten Fields? It can't be The Hillbilly. I've already faced him last time.'_ The process included having a different person out to kill them each time. The last person tried to chainsaw everyone to death.

Knowing what to do, Ringo roamed the area.

Spotting a generator, he quickly crouch walked to it. Ringo wasn't an expert mechanic by any means. He worked on powering up the generator, letting his hands do the magic. He just somehow knew what to do.

When he finished repairing the generator, it became fully powered. The engine were running smoothly. The killer would no doubt be here to investigate the noise and potentially catch him.

Curious as to who it is, Ringo slowly hid inside a nearby closet. What he saw surprised him.

It was a tall woman holding a bloody censer. She wore some kind of silk robe that appeared to be based off a culture. A type of metallic veiled headpiece was placed on her head that also resembled from something out of a culture. If Ringo had to guess, it was probably Babylonian.

Half of her face was deformed with some kind of disgusting infection while the other half still kept intact of her human features. Blood could be seen on it regardless.

 _'Who the hell is this?'_ Ringo wondered. This woman was new to him. He'd never seen her before. Last he checked, there was a total of fourteen killers. She could potentially be the fifteenth.

Another survivor was lurking around in the cornfields. An attractive teenage girl roughly around his age. She wore a light blue colored collar shirt and jeans. Her blonde hair reach down to her neck.

Ringo knew her as Laurie Strode, formerly known as Cynthia Myers. The Determined Survivor. Apparently she's related to one of the other killers, The Shape, also named Michael Myers.

The tall woman found Laurie sneaking away. She inhaled, holding her breath for a few seconds. She followed Laurie, and much to Ringo's disgust, vomited on her.

Laurie reacted pretty much like anyone else would when they're barfed on. Her body glowed green. Her face turned a little green. Laurie threw up on the ground in the midst of her running. She continued throwing up every once in a while.

 _'Her vomit is infectious? Gross!'_ Ringo quietly exited the closet. He heard another generator power on. _'Cool. So we need three more left.'_

Ringo tossed a rock nearby as a Diversion. It was a technique learned from Adam Francis, another fellow survivor, and it worked half the time. Luckily, the tall woman fell for it and stopped chasing Laurie. She went towards the area where the rock landed.

He ran up to Laurie, barely avoiding her vomit. Laurie looked at him, just as confused as he was as to who this new killer is. Ringo observed his surroundings, finding a fountain of water in the distance.

Ringo pointed at the fountain. Laurie nodded and made her way to it. He watched as she cleansed her face with the water. When she finished, she turned back to Ringo. No longer infected, Laurie gave him a thumbs up and whisked away to work on a generator.

Speaking of a generator, another one powered up. This meant that there needed to be two more done.

Ringo could hear the sound of someone going down. It seemed like the new killer found her first target. Getting a sense of where his aura was, Ringo quietly walked to where the person got downed.

The person who got downed was another teenage girl, a year older than Ringo. She had orange hair that was braided into pigtails. She wore a red sports top and sports leggings.

This was Meg Thompson, the Energetic Athlete. Ringo watched the new killer Draper Meg over her shoulder and carry her away.

The point of interest was close by. The killer approached a hook, similar to the one that Ringo had a painting of. Only this one was a different style to match the location. The killer hanged her body on the hook, piercing her upper body.

Meg let out a pained scream. Her body hanged on the hook and she didn't move a muscle. The killer left to go find her next victim.

 _'Meg!'_ When the coast was clear, Ringo rushed over to the hook. He grabbed her body and pulled her off of the hook. Immediately, the killer came their way, alerted by the rescue.

Meg whimpered in pain, clutching her torso. The two attempted to run away from the killer. Ringo decided to protect Meg by acting as a body shield behind her.

The killer threw up on him, but this time her vomit was red. To Ringo, it felt like an actual hit. He slowed down considerably due to the pain inflicted. The tall woman raised her censer and smacked Ringo's back.

Ringo gasped, now being taken down. He had no strength to get. All he could do is crawl, but that proved futile since the killer was right beside him. Ringo tilted his head up, seeing Meg linger behind a tree, most likely planning to save him after he saved her.

A generator dangerously close by powered up. The killer got distracted by it and left Ringo on the ground.

 _'You're a miracle, Laurie.'_ Finding hope, Ringo used his remaining strength to crawl towards Meg. Once there, Meg began to somehow patch him up. He was up now, but still injured so Meg continued healing him.

The logic of it was still confusing to Ringo. He didn't complain. He felt nearly at one hundred percent when Meg finished healing him. In return, he healed up Meg's injuries.

Another scream filled their ears. They didn't recognize the voice at all. Exchanging nods, they both headed at the same directions Ringo saw Meg Sprint Burst her way to a generator with Laurie.

 _'Man, she's fast.'_ Ringo joined the two in repairing the generator. A new face came running their way, vomiting profoundly. 'A new survivor? We definitely need to figure out who these new people are.'

They were nearly done with the generator. The killer was coming, however none bailed on repairing it. They need just a few more seconds.

Unfortunately for Ringo, he was the closest to the killer. She yanked him off the generator, almost giving him a heart attack. The killer carried him on her shoulder.

 _'Shit!'_ Closing his eyes, Ringo waited for the right moment. His eyes burst opened and he stabbed her. The killer released a pained wail, dropping him. Ringo took the opportunity to run away.

Laurie taught him that technique. She called it, Decisive Strike. It really came in handy during the end of their escape. The fifth generator was done. Ringo knew the doors should be ready to power up next.

He narrowly dodged the killer's infections vomit the first time. The second time around, he was hit by the icky green substance. Ringo threw up, caught by the infection.

 _'O-oh god!'_ He was never a fan of throwing up. It's one of the worst feelings he's experienced. He hacked up more vomit, feeling his stomach churn violently.

 _'This is like a plague. She can make anyone sick.'_ From that point on, Ringo named the killer as The Plague because of her attacks. The Plague inched closer. He braced himself for her next strike with her censer.

He ran past a closet. When The Plague rounded near the closet too, someone came bursting out from inside it. Ringo saw that it briefly stunned The Plague.

 _'It's that new survivor!'_ Ringo silently thanked her for the save. That wasn't all. The new survivor pointed her flashlight at The Plague's eyes, stunning her some more. They both managed to escape without serious harm.

 _'I-I need to find that damn fountain!'_ Ringo noticed a water fountain resting against a wall. He made a break for it and quickly dunked his face in.

Now cured from the infection, Ringo's final task was to find the door. There were two of them. Meg and Laurie were bound to have already opened one after all that time he bought for them being chased.

Finding a door, he sighed in relief because Meg and Laurie were both there with the door opened. They were waiting for him and the new survivor to arrive. They both acknowledged his presence with a simple head nod.

The new survivor came running towards them, The Plague hot on her trail. Together as a team, all four of them ran out the door and to freedom, leaving The Plague without any victims to sacrifice.

Ringo escaped the never ending nightmare again. He hadn't been left behind before. He could only imagine what it would do to him if he turned up dead by daylight.

* * *

He awoke with a gasp. The insides of his stomach twisted. He felt a hot burning liquid begin to make its way up his throat. He pushed Blake and Weiss off of him and rushed inside the bathroom.

The sudden push woke both Weiss and Blake up. They tiredly sat up, cringing as they heard Ringo begin to hurl in the bathroom.

Weiss stood up in her nightwear and knocked on the bathroom door. "Doctor, are you alright in there?" His response came in the form of more vomiting. Weiss grew more concern with each second.

"Must've ate something bad," Blake said, standing beside her. Weiss hesitantly opened the door. She witnessed the site of Ringo's face in the toilet, vomiting.

"St-stupid Plague!" Ringo cursed her name between his coughing. He noticed Weiss and Blake at the doorway. "D-don't come close!"

"Why not?"

"I-infectious vomit…" Another wave of vomit made its way out of his mouth, spilling into the toilet.

"How do we cure this?" Blake asked.

"Find the fountain! The Pool of Devotion!" Ringo shut the door on them and went back to throwing up in the toilet.

"The Pool of Devotion? Do we even have something like that?" Weiss questioned aloud. To her ire, Blake was already preparing to leave the dorm in search of it. "Hey! Wait up!" Weiss followed Blake out the door. She couldn't allow her to find the fountain first. Ringo would give all the credit to her!

They wandered around Beacon Grounds for an hour. Ringo said something about a fountain, yet there wasn't any to be seen.

"Wait! Over there!" Weiss pointed at something afar. There was a claw descending from the night sky. It dropped off a fountain with some strange design before going up and disappearing.

"What was that?" Blake strangely felt intimidated by the mysterious hand from the sky.

"Who cares? _I_ found the fountain! Now I have to drag Ringo over here." To ensure that she'll get the credit, Weiss made a mad dash to the dormitory building.

Blake sighed, opting to stay put and keep a closer eye on the small fountain of water.

When Weiss came back, she pushed Ringo forward with a long stick. In his hands was a large barf bag that nearly looked like it was going to tear through the paper.

"You found it!" Ringo dumped the bar bag on the ground and raced over to the fountain. He splashed the water on his face for about a minute.

"Uwah!" Ringo poked his wet face out of the fountain. The clear water turned red. Blake offered him a towel to dry his head. "Thanks!" He dried his face off and planted a gentle kiss on Blake's lips. "You're a lifesaver, Blake. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Blake's cheeks lightly tinted red, accepting the praise. Weiss on the other hand, blew a fit.

"Hey! I was the one who found the fountain and I brought you here!" Smiling weakly, Ringo drew closer to the heiress. Weiss leaned in, expecting to receive a kiss of her own. Instead, Ringo patted her head.

Naturally, Weiss didn't take this very well.

While she was fuming, Ringo took a look back at the fountain. He closed his eyes. When he did, the claw from before came down and clenched onto the fountain. It lifted it back up into the night sky with it, vanishing from plain sight.

Ringo opened his eyes and waved at the area where the claw last was. "Thanks Entity! I'll be sure to supply more sacrifices for you!" A hat dropped from the sky when he finished talking.

Intrigued, he went to go pick it up. Upon further examination, he figured out who the hat belonged to.

 _'How the hell did Ace Visconti's hat get here?'_ The hat belonged to a survivor. A man called Ace Visconti, The Lucky Gambler. Ringo looked back up at the sky, pondering why Ace's hat came to the real world.

"Ringo?"

"Huh? Oh." Ringo snapped out of his thoughts. "Let's go back to sleep. Nothing dangerous is going to happen."

Weiss and Blake appeared unsure of whether to let what happened go so easily. But Ringo was already walking back to the dorms so they had to go with it for now.

* * *

 _'The Entity… the one I'm forced to be loyal with. I cannot displease the Entity.'_ Ringo furiously scribbled down his thoughts in his personal notebook, along with a sketch of the Entity itself.

 _'It allies itself with the Doctor. I must work for it.'_ Ringo flipped through several more pages. There were drawings of different kinds of beings. _'The Huntress, The Pig, The Wraith… so many to deal with. And that new killer, The Plague.'_ He currently drew a rough sketch of the newest pawn for the Entity.

 _'Then we have the survivors who have no choice but to stay in the never ending nightmare for who knows how long. I'm the only lucky person out of that place.'_ The next pages included drawing of people, a piece of their signature article of clothing, and a quote. _'Dwight, Bill, Lauren, Claudette.'_

Ringo sketched an image of the hat he found early in the morning. _'Ace's hat is here. Maybe he almost found a way out of there, but something pulled him back before he managed to escape.'_

He put his notebook down and peeked over at Blake's. She was looking over some notes that was clearly symbols of Adam, including a drawing of him. Ringo checked over his own notes. At the beginning of his notebook, there were pages filled with everything he knew about Adam and the events leading up to his betrayal.

"Here." Ringo handed her his notebook. "He may be one cold son of a bitch now, but that doesn't mean I didn't used to like him."

Blake smiled appreciatively. She was about to take the notebook until Yang barged into their conversation.

"Whatcha doing?" Yang grinned.

Blake closed her own notebook while Ringo continued to write down notes. "Nothing. Just going over notes from last semester," She lied coolly.

"Lame." Yang caught a grape in her mouth from wherever it came from.

A large thud banged on the table, startling Ringo, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. The culprit was Ruby, who wore a huge grin on her face. The large binder on the table had some writing on it. If one looked close enough, the binder belonged to Weiss Schnee.

Ruby cleared her throat. "Sisters, friends… Weiss."

"Hey!"

"Four score and seven minutes ago. I had a dream."

Yang catches another grape into her mouth. "This ought to be good."

"A dream that one day, the five of us will come together, as a _'team'_ , and have the most fun anyone has ever had... ever!" Ruby declared humbly.

"Did you steal my binder?" Weiss accused.

"I am not a crook." Ruby made peace signs with both of her hands.

"Eh… I'm not really sure if I'm down for that today," Ringo said, catching Ruby off guard. "I had a bad morning. Like a _'really'_ bad one. I can't even eat without thinking of this morning." He held his stomach, still feeling the affects of his non stop vomiting for an hour straight. His throat felt like it was on fire as it is.

"I concur. He really did have a bad morning." Weiss backed Ringo up. Blake nodded, also getting behind Ringo's reason.

Ruby had a devastated expression on her face. "But we were supposed to be kicking off the semester with a bang!"

Yang chuckled evilly, "I always kick my semester off with a _'Yang!'_ Eh? Guys? Am I right?" For her bad joke, Yang had to suffer the consequences and get an apple flung at her face.

Ruby spoke. "Look guys, it's been a good two weeks and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great! But, classes start back up tomorrow! Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today."

"Still. I'm going to sit this one out. Sorry, Ruby." Ringo ignored the apple that Yang threw, continuing to write in his notebook.

"I don't know. I think I might sit this one out too." Blake voiced her take on Ruby's plan.

Quickly figuring out that that would mean Ringo and Blake would be alone together, Weiss interjected, "Sit out or not, I think that however we spend this last day, we should do it as a team!"

Weiss stood up to make her voice more clearer. "I for one think that-" A pie was thrown right smack dab on Weiss' face, interrupting her.

Ringo, Ruby, Blake, and Yang glanced over where the pie came from. Nora slowly sat down and pointed an accusing finger at a facepalming Ren. Pyrrha's placed a hand over her mouth in shock while Jaune stared at the pie faced Weiss wide eyed.

Ringo felt Weiss' fury literally illuminating her body. He closed his notebook with one goal in mind.

 _'I'm out of here!'_

* * *

Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias were walking outside to the dining hall together. Sun had just finished recounting the tale of his adventure with Blake and Ringo a few months back.

"Man. That's harsh," Neptune said.

"I know, we were fighting side by side. She was super fast and I threw a banana at the guy, which sounds gross, but it was awesome." Sun frowned, despite his awesome storytelling. "But then it got super weird. This supposedly mental hospital just happened to reappear when we got there. I know a building when I see one Neptune, and there was nothing there when we first went there."

"I don't know. You sure you didn't eat too many bananas?" Neptune joked lightly.

Sun didn't see it that way. "I'm positive! Even she said that there wasn't anything there. We went in and found him when he literally came running too us. Whatever happened in there messed him up bad. I think he was crying a bit." He felt bad for Ringo. He was on the weird side, but he didn't deserve any of that.

"The only best part that came out of it is that she's a faunus too! But that's a secret, got it?" Sun slipped out that tidbit of information.

"Got it?" Neptune replied, unsure. Sun leaned in close, giving off the mysterious vibe.

"And not a, I'm gonna go tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back secret, I'm talking _secret_ secret."

"Whoa. Chill out man, okay? I got it!" The two failed to notice Jaune's body splattering onto the window.

"I just don't want to screw this up, you know? The people here are the coolest! No offense to you guys."

"None taken."

Sun and Neptune approached the entrance of the dining hall. "They're just in here. I'll really excited for you to meet them. Oh! Here comes one of them now!" He spotted Ringo sprinting towards the entrance.

"Hey! Ringo!" Sun waved. Ringo burst out of the doors, almost hitting Sun.

"M-move it!" He strangely was clasping his hand over his mouth. Splotches of milk and food stains were all over his uniform.

Ringo collapsed on his knees. Worried, Sun rushed to his aid.

"Ew! Gross!" Sun saw Ringo begin to throw up. He instinctively backed away. When he did, a horde of students came running out of the doors.

"Ugh… not again!" Ringo groaned. "Entity! Lord and Savior! Bring me some assistance!" He yelled at the sky.

Neptune coughed awkwardly, "You were right. He's weird." Much to his surprise, a monster-like claw appeared in the sky and descended down slowly. The students screamed out of fright and hurried towards a different direction.

The claw dropped off a small fountain filled with water. Ringo threw his whole body into the fountain.

"Is that thing safe to drink?" Sun got his answer when the claw picked up the fountain with Ringo still in it. "Oh shoot!"

Before Sun was able to save him, a gravitational force grabbed Ringo's body and safely got him out of the fountain, only to slam him on the ground moments later.

Glynda Goodwitch stormed over his body and to the dining hall to stop the food fight. Sun and Neptune only caught a glimpse of the inside. They cringed at the sight of food all over the area.

"Fuck you, Entity…" Ringo stood up, slightly dizzy. Sun was there to help him stand his ground.

Inside the dining hall, Team RWBY were celebrating their successful win against Team JNPR. Not only that, they were off the hook thanks to Professor Ozpin.

"Hey. Where's Ring boy?" Yang questioned, noticing that the only male member in their team wasn't present.

"G-guys." Ruby shakily pointed a finger at the ground. There was a table that was on top of a very noticeable lump. Around the table was red fluid. "Oh no! We killed him!"

"No we didn't." Yang kicked the table, revealing chunks of watermelon underneath the clutter. Ruby fell on her rear end and sighed.

"There he is with… Sun?" Blake saw the two out the window. With them, was an unfamiliar face as well.

"Take it easy." Sun could barely hold Ringo still. He kept on losing his footing and fell on the ground.

"Ringo!" Coming out of the dining hall, the four females of Team RRWBY ran up to them.

Sun believed that Blake was going to congratulate him. So he puffed his chest and put on his best smile.

Blake walked past him and helped Ringo to his feet. The sound of glass shattering could be heard as Sun's expression fell.

"Tough luck." Neptune patted his sulking teammate on the shoulder.

"Why doesn't the Entity like the Doctor anymore!? I have to make more sacrifices!" Ringo cried out, leaning onto Blake for support.

"Or you can take a deep breath and tell me what happened," Blake suggested.

"No! The Doctor is a failure!" He wailed.

Neptune stared at him oddly. "What's up with him?"

"He has a personality disorder," Weiss responded, informing him of his condition without any detail.

"Seriously? Sun, you're messed up for calling him weird." Neptune only heard Weiss' voice. When he did take a look at her, his body froze.

"I don't believe we met you before. Weiss Schnee," Weiss politely introduced herself.

Neptune smirked, gaining confidence. "The name's Neptune, _snow angel_."

Weiss maintained a straight face out of respect. Yang had a different way of dealing with the situation.

"Watch who you're hitting on. Ice Queen is already taken," Yang revealed, spotting the uncomfortable shift in Weiss' posture.

Neptune's jaw dropped. "What? With who?" Yang jabbed a thumb towards Ringo's direction. "Him!?"

Sun recovered from his earth shattering experience and patted Neptune's shoulder. "Tough luck." Neptune glared at him for using his own words against him. Sun popped up beside Blake and Ringo. "The Treehouse Committee is back together!"

Ringo weakly high fived Sun. "Woo… reunion." Blake shared a less enthusiastic fist bump after Ringo motioned her to do so.

Neptune walked closer to get a better look at Ringo.

"S-stop!" Ringo shouted but it was too late. Neptune stepped on his vomit. "No!" He cried on Blake's shoulder, dreading what's to come.

"Sick!" Neptune removed his foot from the puddle of vomit. He suddenly felt the urge to throw up his breakfast.

"Entity!"

* * *

A team meeting was called to order in Team RRWBY's dorm. Sun tagged along to fully represent the Treehouse Committee. Neptune didn't join his teammate, choosing to recover from his gross experience.

"Can't we do this all day? It's my type of fun." Ringo slouched around on his bed, cuddling with Blake's plush cat. The one that he got for her back when they ran away.

"No!" Ruby snatched the plush cat from him. "We have to do something as a team. You weren't there for our food fight."

"That's because I was busy throwing up and not one of you bullies noticed me gone! Gimme that!" Ringo took the plush back from Ruby by force and resumed lazing around.

"That thing reminds me of Blake," Yang commented, pointing out the resemblance. The plush cat had black fur and amber eyes.

"Hehe… it does." Ringo kissed the plush cat on the head and snuggled with it tighter. Bubbly hearts appeared beside him as he did so.

Ruby cautiously poked one of the hearts, causing it to explode.

Everyone has their eyes on Blake, hoping that she'd explain what that was all about. Her face was slightly shaded red at the display Ringo showed.

"You're missing the point." Ruby cut in. "We have to spend today as a team!"

"That's already happening, is it not?" Ringo pointed out.

"No! It's not!" Ruby puffed her cheeks out. "You're not interacting with us! We have a guest." She gestured at a bewildered Sun.

"I didn't know you were this lazy," Sun muttered. "Doesn't make you seem like the lunatic that I remembered from before."

"Do you want the lunatic to come out?!" Ringo threatened. Sun nervously shook his head. "Good. Now unless you actually have something planned Ruby, then I suggest you let me have this day to myself." Being the slouch that he is, Ringo hid under his blankets as to not be disrupted.

Ruby pouted. Unbeknownst to everyone, she really didn't have anything planned. Her list of activities were all something that she was sure that Ringo didn't enjoy. It wouldn't get him up from bed.

"I got this." Weiss yanked the blanket off of Ringo. "You don't want to sleep alone for a week, do you?"

The threat did nothing to phase Ringo. "I don't know Weiss, do _'you'_ want to sleep alone?" His eyes shifted over to Blake. "I know I won't be alone. Who knows what might happen." He kept it as vague as possible. It worked like a charm.

Weiss' mouth became agape. She gazed at Blake, who just shrugged and looked off to the side embarrassed.

"You're seriously going to allow that?" Weiss' brow furrowed.

"Girls! Girls!" Yang wrapped her arms around Weiss and Blake, much to their discomfort. "I believe we do know one way to get this lazy sloth out of bed."

The three girls exchanged knowing glances, leaving Ruby and Sun confused. They took out their own scrolls respectively.

"Ringo, look at me for a second," Weiss requested sweetly. Grinning from the tone of her voice, he willingly opened his eyes, expecting an understanding Weiss.

They activated the flashlight on their scrolls all at once.

 _'Oh! That's right. Ringo said he hated bright lights!'_ Ruby recalled the day he told them that after the field trip to Forever Fall.

"Ah! My eyes!" Ringo screeched loudly. He tumbled out of his bed, rolling left and right vigorously. He pressed his face against the floor, his lower body raising up in defeat.

"You just blinded him!" Sun lifted Ringo's head. "Speak to me!"

"Eyes…"

Sun eyed Blake. "You betrayed a fellow member of the Treehouse Committee! You should be banned for life… but I'll let you off the hook for now."

"Gah! You three are mean!" Ringo struggled to get up.

"Maybe next time you should listen to your teammates!" Weiss fired back, not feeling the least bit sorry for her partner.

Ruby beamed. "Great! Now that you're up, we can spend this day together as a team." In a blink of an eye, a board game appeared in her hands.

"No!" Yang, Blake, and Weiss yelled when they saw what it was. Ringo did too in his blinded state. He could sense the demonic power coming from the board game. Nothing good could come from them based on their past experiences.

Ruby cowered back, startled by their outburst.

Sun folded his arms. "It's just a board game. Why are you four so against it? Here, I'll play with you," He offered to Ruby.

"Thanks!" Ruby began to set the board game up. It wasn't like any of the other board games that she usually brought. It was a simple small mat with a container full of cards.

"Never Have I Ever?" Sun quiered. "Isn't that a kids game?"

Ruby stomped her left foot. "No! It's a grown-up game! Ringo and I were supposed to play together one time but he bailed out!" She sent a nasty glare towards Ringo. He would've felt bad about it, but he couldn't see so there was nothing to feel sorry about.

"Eh." Sun shrugged. "What the heck. I'll play." He pulled Ringo with him by the collar. "You're playing too. As executive chief of the Treehouse Committee, I declare all members play!"

Ringo groaned, "Fine. You have to read me my cards though."

"No problemo! I hear there's someone really personal questions in here. The embarrassing kind of personal." Sun grinned, nudging his shoulder.

Blake made it seem like she had no other choice but to play. "If you insist. I'm a part of the Treehouse Committee too." Truthfully, she wanted to hear out any personal questions that Ringo might receive.

"We betting money on who comes first and last?" Yang asked deviously.

"If you want. Sure!" Sun spoke for Ruby.

"Count me in! I got my money on me being first and Blakey being last." Yang rubbed her hands together menacingly. She smiled when Blake gave her the stink eye.

Weiss became the odd one out. Noting this, she huffed and gracefully sat next to Ringo, coming up with her own excuse.

"I must keep an eye on you in case you try something you're not suppose to do, doctor," Weiss lied, secretly not wanting to be excluded out of without looking desperate.

"I can't even see! What am I supposed to do!?" The couple argued, much to everyone's discomfort.

"Ahem!" Ruby brought everyone's attention back to her. She drew a card from the pile. "Never have I ever… gotten into bed with my parents after a bad dream." A frown replaced her smile.

"Score!" Yang realized that no one else was that enthusiastic about the question. "Uhh… anyone else get a point?"

Blake quietly raised her hand. Everyone else had theirs down.

"Hehe! I'm a brave faunus! I don't go to my mommy when I have nightmares!" Sun stated proudly.

Following his lead, Ringo went next. "Don't mean to bring down the mood more but I don't even know my parents. That's pretty much the reason I let Rom… the White Fang take me in."

No one but Blake heard his slip up in words. Weiss touch his arm, sympathetic towards his statement

"Ringo…"

"Hey. It doesn't matter to me that much. I mean, sure I'd at least want to know their names. I'll be honest, I haven't really bothered to find them. They're either dead or they left me for no reason. If I ever wanted to find them, I'd have to go to Vacuo. Not much records are known of Vacuo itself to the other kingdoms because of how chaotic it is." Ringo finished, not one bit phased by the situation. He was in no rush to find his parents. He didn't even want to go back to Vacuo. Roman and the White Fang would catch him before he set foot on Vacuo land.

To lighten the mood, Ringo decided to make a scene.

"I wish I could see how you look Weiss, but my eyes are still blind!" He slightly pushed Weiss. Slightly turned out to he harshly as Weiss yelped from being shoved to the floor.

Weiss was about to argue until Yang spoke.

"Let's stop with this stupid question. Here we go." Yang picked up the next card out of the stack. "Never have I ever skipped school! That's two points for me now!" Her excitement grew. That betted money is as good as hers.

Everyone but Ruby and Weiss raised their hands.

"When you have two family members at your old school, you kinda have to not disappoint them," Ruby explained herself. Yang nodded, though she really didn't mind if they were disappointed with her.

"Punctuality is a very important thing. How else can you make a good impression to your peers?" Weiss defended her actions.

"Ugh. You're such a nerd," Ringo joked. To his misfortune, Weiss took it to heart.

"I don't admire those who don't take education seriously."

"Well I don't admire those that blind their significant other! Sunny boy, read the next card for me."

Sun had no issue with that and read the next card. "Never have I ever… gone to Beacon two years early? What?"

"Ehehe…" Ruby laughed nervously, twiddling her fingers shyly as everyone stared at her. "I might have put some cards in there for myself."

"Ruby!"

Sun tossed the card and picked up a new one. "Never have I ever… eaten five plates of cookies under five minutes?"

Yang spent the next five minutes going through all the cards to check which ones favored Ruby. Ruby became teary eyed with each card that was taken out.

Ringo blinked, regaining his vision. "Ah. That's better!" He got up and sat next to Ruby for one purpose only. "If there's one thing that I disapprove of is cheaters! You were going to cheat that time we were supposed to play together!" He smacked the back of Ruby's head lightly.

What he didn't expect was for her to burst out in tears. Two waterfalls erupted from her eyes.

"Ah! I didn't mean it like that!" Ringo could feel Yang's death glare pierce through his form. "Please stop crying! You're a big girl, aren't you?"

Ruby continued bawling her eyes out. She only calmed down when Ringo wrapped his arms around her. She 'suddenly' stopped crying and accepted his embrace.

"Mehehe!" Ruby sneakily giggled. Yang caught on to this and smirked. Ruby was using her cuteness to her advantage. Even if it meant fake crying in front of others.

The game resumed shortly afterwards.

"This card better make sense." Sun crossed his fingers. "Never have I ever intentionally beat up a classmate. Okay, at least this is a normal one."

"Yes!" Yang was now at three points. "There was this guy back at Signal Academy who looked at me funny so I beat him up." No one appeared surprised. It was Yang after all.

"I think I only told Jaune this." Ringo raised his hand. Everyone leaned in, intrigued. "There was this guy who used to bully me last year, so when I confronted him about it, he tried to fight me so I made him go insane. He had to go to a mental hospital for about a month. When he got out, him and his teammates transferred to Haven Academy."

Sum gulped. He scooted back some in fear.

"Why did you only tell Jaune? This would've been nice to know," Weiss huffed.

"Well, he had that whole Cardin thing going on. I did it to get him to stand up to his bully," Ringo responded honestly.

Since no one else raised their hands, Blake went next and drew a card.

"Never have I ever fallen asleep for an entire day straight." Like before, Yang and Ringo raised their hands. Surprisingly, Ruby did too.

"You already know that I like to sleep." Ringo shrugged. It was an easy point for him.

Ruby spoke next. "Yang dared me to eat a whole big bowl of sweets with her. We went on a sugar rush and passed out for a day so I guess it counts." Everyone laughed at this, including Yang herself.

"Not gonna lie, dad thought we died. He took us to the dentist and they fiddled with our teeth for hours!" Yang chuckled. The last person in the circle that hasn't read a card was Weiss.

She picked one up. Her eyes skimmed over the words. "Never have I ever… kissed someone on the lips. Oh, of course I'm the one who gets the embarrassing question." Weiss rolled her eyes, raising her hand and getting her first point of the game.

Ringo and Blake did so too. Yang scratched her head bashfully. This is the first turn where she wouldn't be getting a point.

"Blake? Ooh! Who's the lucky guy?" Ruby asked curiously. Sun listened on intently.

Blake, Ringo, and Weiss were acting weird. They strangely went quiet. Blake dodged the question completely.

"Don't be too bummed Rubes. I'm sure she's just shy." Yang winked at the three. "Anyway, it's your turn again."

Yang ended up winning the game, dominating everyone and taking their money too. She requested that they'd do this again but with drinks, which resulted in everyone throwing their money at her face.

* * *

The trio of Ringo, Blake, and Weiss were getting ready for bed. Luckily for Weiss, Yang had already gone to sleep an hour prior, so she wasn't going to interfere in the slightest.

"Alright. I set up my alarm so we'll be up on time for the new semester," Weiss said, finishing up the necessary adjustments.

"Good. Good." Ringo was sitting by his desk, finishing up reading over Silver's scroll.

"Night." Blake laid on her own bed, wanting some alone time tonight. Weiss perked up, glad that she was going to be alone with Ringo for the first time in a good while.

"Guess it's just you and me tonight." Ringo took his spot on his bed. He chose to wear his uniform to sleep just in case he overslept.

 _'I have to know what's going on. Ace has to be there when I go back. There has to be a way to break them all out of there.'_ Ever since he found Ace's hat, Ringo devised a thought out plan to stay inside of the never ending nightmare until he gets the answers that he needs.

What he knew so far is that his dreams, aren't actually dreams. They were somehow real in a sense. The pain was very much real for it not to be. He didn't know how it worked, but it is what it is.

Ace's hat coming to the real world proved his theory. He believed his semblance had something to do with it. The Doctor is one of the killers. His habits were influencing Ringo. The Entity controlled all killers, including him.

His plan was risky. He had friends in the other world. They needed to help each other out. Ringo had to make it quick. Whenever he woke up is when he escapes the killer's grasp. Obviously, lingering longer than he needed to would spell death for him and his fellow survivors.

"Hey, Weiss?" Going inside the never ending nightmare happened at random. He never actually tried to go there willingly. It shouldn't be hard. After all, he had the Doctor's personality.

"Yes?" Weiss joined him in bed.

"You know I love you, right?"

"Of course and I love you the same." Weiss snuggled into his arms. Ringo smiled. He hugged Weiss, in an effort to show his appreciation for her.

"Good to know. Goodnight." Ringo closed his eyes, falling asleep not too soon after.

* * *

Ringo opened his eyes. He was back. There was a lit campfire in the middle of three people. To Ringo's luck, one of them happened to be Ace Visconti. Ace was hatless, confirming Ringo's previous theories.

The other two survivors were Feng Min, and Adam Francis, a Jamaican man with his trusty trench coat. They acknowledged Ringo's presence with a head nod.

Ringo knew they weren't talkers. In fact, every survivor he knew never talked much, sometimes never at all. It was in his best interest to initiate the conversation.

"Hey guys. Long time no see." He waved politely.

Ace grunted, "We know yer little secret, pal."

"Eh?" Ringo's eyes turned into dots. "Secrets? What secrets?"

Feng Min went up to him and slapped him. "You've been able to get out of here the entire time!"

Adam glared at the teen. "Don't try to lie either. Ace saw you himself, cleaning yourself with the Pool of Devotion in the real world."

"You owe me a new hat," Ace muttered. "Th-that's not the point though! All sixteen of us want out too!"

"Sixteen?" Ringo remembered there only being fifteen of them. "Oh. It's that new woman, right?"

"Ringo!"

"Alright! Alright!" Ringo raised his hands in defeat. "I came back because I found your hat." He pointed at a disgruntled Ace. "I have a plan to bust you guys out of here. You just have to listen me out."

Ace, Adam, and Feng Min gathered around him, more curious than angry now.

"Okay. So here's the plan…"

* * *

Second **Author's Note: So yeah, mostly Dead by Daylight shenanigans going on this chapter. Next chapter I'd say there's an eighty five percent chance I won't actually write what happened. Unless people are actually interested. Until then, it'll go back into the flow with the RWBY universe.**

 **Next chapter follows the next episode of the volume along with the occasional interactions between the MC and Team RWBY. The fallout of Ringo's trip will also be included too. With that said, stay tuned.**


	14. A New Day

**Author's Note: I pretty much expected the type of reactions of last chapter. I'll only have another brief DBD scene in a later chapter. Everything that happened last chapter will have significance so it wasn't just for nothing. Anyway, I believe this chapter should make up for it. I'm pretty glad with this chapter and how it turned out.**

 **There's only one dark scene but it's very brief, and only a paragraph. It should be noticeable and it'll explain the fate of Ringo's former partner and best friend. Other than that, it's mostly just a lighthearted chapter with some romance and more backstory of Ringo before he went to Beacon. Ringo's relationship with Yang and Ruby will develop more eventually, this chapter mainly focuses with Weiss and Blake**.

 **Lelouch-Strife: I did indeed use Dead By Daylight. I believed it to be the best course of action and it'll have a major impact on Ringo very soon.**

 **Blaze1992: It was Chapter Thirteen: The Best Day Ever :D.**

 **The Headless chicken: Thanks and yeah, I seem to have confused some other people too. I'm adding DBD elements to the story description just to alert people what they're going to read because Ringo's semblance is basically from DBD anyway.**

 **Guest Q: Haha, I feel ya with those DBD flashbacks. I didn't want to include what happens because I didn't want the chapter to be all DBD, because this is a RWBY story. It's implied what happens during the beginning of this chapter :).**

 **razmire: Neptune… that's a character I've been speaking about with another reviewer. I don't know what really counts as bashing since I don't read those types of stories so thanks for the info. And yes, it's a game where you try to survive like FNAF, except you actually move around and must escape or else ya face death. Never Have I Ever does have a family version involving cards and points. I remembered playing it with my family one time so that's where I got it from**.

 **With those reviews answered, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

The next following week was quite uneventful to say the least. A new semester still meant the same old boring classes. Nothing interesting popped up.

Ringo had been more distant as of late. He constantly went to bed early, too early even for him. The fact that he could even go to bed was progress enough, but this was pushing it.

Naturally, Weiss and Blake questioned him on this. He reassured them with the same sentence, stating that he was doing something important. Sleep wasn't that important, leaving them suspicious on the matter.

Currently, Ringo was in Ozpin's office. Being called up to the headmaster's office usually meant trouble. This is the case brought up by Professor Goodwitch.

"He isn't careful during duels! I have the right to ban him from battles. He's sent four students to the medical wing, barely managing to get a grip on reality!" Goodwitch ranted on to the professor.

"Hey, I'm just doing what I must to win." Ringo shrugged, not really caring about the situation. He had his notebook out, checking over a specific page with a list of names.

 _'Alright. I've got three more left to save. Meg, Jeff, and Jane.'_ During his adventures in the never ending nightmare, he helped thirteen out of the sixteen survivors escape. They were somewhere. So, Ringo instructed them to meet him at Vale once everyone escaped and arrived there.

"He doesn't even care for the well-being of those he's injured," Professor Goodwitch said bitterly.

"Now, Glynda." Ozpin's face remained neutral. "Targeting Ringo all year isn't going to bring Professor Wisteria back."

Professor Goodwitch's face twisted in anger immediately. A question mark appeared beside Ringo's head, confused by the exchange.

Ringo heard a pair of bullheads out in the distance. Intrigued, he looked out the window along with Ozpin and Glynda.

A swarm of soldiers landed on Beacon grounds and walked on the path.

"Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels," Goodwitch said, getting over her earlier grudge with Ringo.

"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man." More bullheads came into view. "But yes, those are an eyesore."

A beeping sound came from Ozpin's desk, reading: **Access Requested.**

"You be on your best behavior, you hear!" Goodwitch tugged Ringo's ear hard.

A man came in, looking rather important. Glynda released her hold on him and shifted into a more respectful position.

"Ozpin!"

"Hello, general," Ozpin greeted back politely.

"Please. Drop the formalities." The two shook hands. The man then went on to shake hands with Goodwitch. "It's been too long. And Glynda! It has certainly been too long since we have last met!"

"Oh, James!" Goodwitch waved at him, losing her strict persona. Ringo snickered at this, causing Goodwitch to glare at him. "We'll be outside."

Before Goodwitch dragged Ringo out of the office by the collar, the man put his hand out forward.

"The boy can stay. I can't say we've met before." Goodwitch reluctantly nodded and exited the room. "Well, she hasn't changed a bit."

Ringo quietly tried to sneak out of the office.

"You there!" The man stopped him dead in his tracks. "State your name!"

"Ringo Yin, s-sir."

Ironwood's eyes examined Ringo. "Have we met before? I most certainly think I've have heard your name before. You look familiar too."

"I can assure you we haven't met before," Ringo gulped. He felt intimidated by Ironwood's presence alone.

Ozpin saved him before Ironwood had the chance to speak. "Now, now. What in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas? Headmasters don't typically with their students to the Vytal Festival." He picked up a kettle and began pouring coffee in his mug.

Ringo raised a finger. "Uh, sir? May I be excused now?"

"No." Ozpin's single response bummed Ringo out. The headmaster handed Ironwood a mug. He took the mug and pulled out his own canteen to pour his drink into.

"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year. Besides, with you hosting, I thought that this might be a good time for us to catch up."

Ozpin sat back down. "I can certainly appreciate the quality time between friends, however, a small fleet outside my window has me concerned." He referred to the bullheads flying around Beacon.

"Um, I would like some coffee too," Ringo piped up. He was ignored by the two adults.

"Well, concern is what brought them here," Ironwood replied sternly.

"I understand that travel between kingdoms has become increasingly difficult…"

"Oz. You and I both know why I brought those men."

Ringo chuckled, "Hehe. Oz! May I call you that?"

Ozpin seemed to have noticed Ringo. "No. I understand your concern, I am concerned too. Which is why we continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses we can. Take Mr. Yin for example."

"Me? But I failed!" Ringo exclaimed.

"What makes this boy so special?" Ironwood tapped Ringo's head.

"I do believe he hasn't lost a single duel since last semester. This is why he's here." Professor Ozpin looked at Ringo. "You and Miss Nikos are quite the breakout students of your year."

"That's what you told me last year…" Ringo mumbled to himself.

"But you've been more unruly. For that, I'm taking Glynda's word. I advise you not to send another student to the medical wing, or else," The headmaster warned him.

"Or else what?" Ringo asked, half scared and half demanding.

"Or else you're barred from competing in the Vytal Festival Tournament." Ironhood was mildly surprised that Ozpin would ban one of his top students from competing.

To their surprise, Ringo shrugged. "Meh. I didn't even want to compete in that tournament anyway."

Ironwood took a liking into Ringo. Strong, brave, it was qualifications that he sought out for soldiers. People he could have to defend the area.

"If that's the case." Ironwood flashed Ozpin a smirk. "How would you like completing for Atlas? We could use someone of your caliber to join our school."

Ozpin spat out his coffee, taken aback from Ironwood's offer.

Ringo thought about it. "So I'd have to transfer there?" Ironwood nodded. "And I won't be disciplined for hurting other students during duels?" He nodded once more. "Hmm. I don't know… I kinda like it here."

Ozpin sighed in relief, glad that his student remained loyal to Beacon.

"Unless there's money involved," Ringo whistled innocently.

"We can discuss your price for another time. Will you accept the offer?" Ironwood saw Ozpin look on in anticipation.

"Maybe…" Ringo had one more question in mind. "Who's competing for Atlas?"

Ironwood proudly announced his force. "Representing Atlas, we have one of our top fighters, Penny-"

"No deal!" Ringo rejected the offer quickly. Ironwood's smirk vanished.

"What?"

"You're talking about weird Penny? Girl with orange hair and green eyes?"

Ironwood took offense to his description of Penny. "Yes, I don't see why…" Something clicked into the mind of James Ironwood. "Now I remember you! You're Penny's new boyfriend, aren't you!?"

"W-what? N-no! You must be mistaken! I already have a girlfriend!" Ringo stuttered.

Ironwood approached him. "No. All Penny talks about is this _'Ringy'_ that she kissed all day. Now I'm hearing you're already cheating on her? Explain yourself now!" He bellowed, frightening Ringo.

"N-no! You got it all wrong! She came to me! I already told her I was taken but she wouldn't listen!" Ringo tried to defend himself.

"I heard you took her to see Android Love. That is an adult movie!" Ironwood roared at his face. "She's been begging me for months to allow this relationship to happen. I finally give in and now I hear that you're cheating!?"

Ringo shrank to the size of an ant, beyond afraid of the general.

"I knew letting Penny have a boyfriend was a bad idea. It'll distract her from her true mission. Now breaking her heart will be her downfall." Ironwood grabbed Ringo by the collar of his uniform. "You're staying with Penny, got it!?"

"James!" Ozpin got up, worried for his student.

"B-but I don't want to be with Penny! I'm with Weiss!" Ringo developed a teary face, fearing for his own life right now.

"James!" Ozpin's voice grew louder. As soon as Ironwood let go of Ringo, he bolted out the door.

Ringo didn't stop running. He ran all the way to the library, where he knew his team would be.

"Open sesame!" Ringo barged through the large double doors of the library, catching everyone's attention because of his loud entrance.

A pile of planks were seen in his arms. Ringo quickly boarded up the doors in case Ironwood followed him.

The librarian came over and tapped him on the shoulder. Ringo saw that she was pointing at a sign that had a picture of his face along with a cross mark.

Ringo was banned from the library. A brief flashback reminded Ringo that he followed one of his past opponents in the library and destroyed the area.

"Uh…" He looked back at the heavily boarded door. "Is there another exit by any chance?" The library sighed, gesturing him to go on ahead. "Thanks!"

Ringo found where his team was. They were playing Remnant: The Game. Apparently, Yang felt pretty confident in herself. Blake looked bored. Weiss appeared nervous and Ruby was getting ready to make a big play.

"Heya guys." Only Blake paid him to mind. She seemed glad that he came.

"Hmm… all right! All right! Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!" Ruby, caught up in the excitement, stood up from her seat.

"Bring it on!" Yang accepted her challenge.

Ringo proudly patted his chest at Team JNPR. Only Jaune didn't dislike him in any way. Ringo guessed it had something to do with his friendly nature. Pyrrha was indifferent towards him. Ren hadn't spoken a word to him in weeks. Nora flat out avoided him.

 _'Meh. I kinda liked Pyrrha's company but if she's holding a grudge over me beating Nora fairly then who needs her?'_ Quite frankly, Ringo thought it was silly for Pyrrha to act this way, including Nora and Ren. There was no reason for them to act petty about it.

Ringo was used to this type of behavior from his fellow peers last year. He came up with the conclusions to fight back after trying to ignore it for so long. This time is no different.

"Ringo." Blake got up from her seat, dropping her cards on the table. Weiss, Ruby, and Yang didn't notice him standing there.

"Blakey~" The two shared an awfully romantic hug. Jaune pursed his lips, suspicious by the way Ringo had his hands around her. It wasn't a friendly hug by any means.

"This game is so confusing."

"Do you want to read together then?"

"Absolutely."

The exchange between the was brief. Weiss' head perked up.

"I feel my senses tingling." True to her own statement, Weiss saw Ringo about to leave with Blake.

"Well Weiss, it's your turn." Weiss got distracted by her own turn, thus allowing Blake and Ringo to venture off on their own.

When they came back, they witnessed the sight of Ruby and Weiss crying and hugging each other.

"Gonna save this for later." Ringo snapped a picture of the two with his scroll. He sent it to Blake, earning a soft chuckle from her.

"Alright Blake you're up…?" A blinking outline of Blake appeared at her seat. Yang looked around and spotted the two nearby. "Hey! You can't quit! Vale needs you, Blake!"

"Sorry. I got bored," Blake said, clutching a book in her hands.

"We said no books!"

"Too bad it's my book." Ringo swooped in and took the book from Blake. "And I'm sharing it with Blakey." He patted her head, careful of touching her bow.

"Stop calling me Blakey."

"Aww. But why? It's my pet name for you." Ringo's smile widened as Blake's cheeks reddened.

Jaune came into the fray. "Hey guys, can I play?" He asked, really wanting to play instead of studying.

"Sorry Jaune, we already have four players," Ruby replied, bouncing off of Weiss' lap.

"Not anymore." Blake made her withdraw known.

"Aw what!" The cry of protest came from both Yang and Ruby. Jaune grinned, seizing the opportunity to take Blake's seat. He was now the leader of Vale.

Weiss merely shook her head in disapproval. "This game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt that you posses."

"Uh… you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago," Yang pointed out cheekily. Weiss grunted in annoyance.

Jaune raised his fist in the air. "Bring it on, Ice Queen! I'll have you know that I have been told that I am a natural born leader." He bragged.

"By who? Your mother?"

"A-and Pyrrha! Ringo too… in his own way." Jaune hesitated there for a second. When it came to Ringo, it becomes hard to figure out what he means half the time. Jaune was pretty sure he meant it anyway.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha waved at the table.

"Did I say that?" Ringo scratched his head. His memory was not all that good. "I guess I did."

"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vale! You're going to mess up everything with your clumsy leading and kill us all!" Weiss growled.

Ringo's head perked up at the mention of Vacuo. "Ice Queen, I know a little cheat code. You want to find out what it is?"

"Good ahead," Weiss grumbled, trusting her partner. Ringo had a sinister smile plastered over his mouth. He placed a single dollar on the board.

"There. Now all your troops gain a boost in attack and health. Call it an inside Vacuo secret if you may." He winked at his girlfriend.

"That is not in the rules!" Yang read over the official rulebook for the board game. Her eyes widened. "It's in the rules…"

"Thank you, doctor." Weiss smiled, appreciating his assistance.

"Got any tips for Vale?" Jaune asked.

"Nope. Vale sucks. It can literally be destroyed completely with one special card…" He didn't name the exact card to make the game fair for Jaune.

"Sup losers!" Sun barged in on their game with Neptune in his company.

"Hey, Sun!" Ruby greeted back happily.

Sun scanned the area, smiling while nodding. "Ruby, Yang, Blake, Ringo… Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss grew irritated over her now official nickname. She didn't like it at all, the nickname originating from Nora in the first place.

"Aw come on, Ice Queen. It's a lovely nickname," Ringo reassured her.

Of course, when it came out of Ringo's mouth, the nickname didn't sound all that bad now.

"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend." Sun snickered, remembering what went down the day they met. Neptune ended up not eating for a whole day after his encounter with Ringo.

"You're not going to throw up again, are you?" Neptune asked Ringo nervously.

"Don't worry about it. That's all wiped out of my system. You just have to worry about not going insane, 'kay?" Ringo smiled sweetly, causing Neptune to sweatdrop.

"Your name is Neptune, if I'm not mistaken," Ringo said. "You already know me, Neptune. Hehehe…"

Ringo chuckled, replaying the memory of Neptune throwing up. Naturally, Neptune frowned.

"So Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss inquired curiously.

"Haven." Neptune flashed a smile. "What about you, snow angel?"

Sun elbowed his side. "Dude!" He pointed at Ringo, reminding him of who was with who. Ringo stood there with a blank expression on his face. He snapped out of it once he detected several eyes on him.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"It's nothing, doctor." Weiss ignored Neptune's little flirty message, hoping that he'd understand the memo.

"I never took you as the board game playing type," Sun said to Blake.

"Right, well I already said I'm done playing. I'll see you guys later." Blake pushed Sun to the side.

"Women." Nora's comment came from her table.

"Yeesh. Someone's moody today." Ringo glanced at the doorway. The librarian somehow managed to remove the boards in a matter of minutes. "I'll go see what's up. She wanted to read together anyway."

Fortunately, another excuse came his way when the librarian kicked him out the library, literally.

* * *

Ringo knew where Blake would be. She had nowhere else to go, so obviously she'd be at the dorm.

Sure enough, Ringo opened the door to their dorm, finding Blake sitting on her bed. She hugged her knees close to her chest.

"Hey." Blake didn't look up. She seemed to be in her own little world. Ringo knew that feeling. He used to zone out a lot last year too. Those were for different reasons though. He couldn't be alone. Otherwise he'd try something extreme.

Ringo stared at the middle of the room. This was the same room he lived in last year, with his old team.

A weak bolt of electricity flashed within his eyes. His vision became red. Everything in his sight was red.

Team RRWBY's dorm shifted into Team SLVR's dorm. In front of Ringo was a noose hanging from the ceiling. A body hanged from the rope, a symbol of the White Fang was painted on the corpse.

Ringo slapped himself, regaining his vision. Everything transformed back to normal.

 _'Fuck. Blake getting all down gets me down too.'_ To fix this, he joined Blake on her bed.

"Leave me alone," Blake whispered in a soft voice.

"You know I won't do that to ya." Ringo wrapped an arm around her shoulder, bringing her in for a one armed side hug. "What's bothering you? We were ready to read together. I know how much you like it."

"I don't want to read."

Ringo faked a gasp. "What? Blake Belladonna doesn't want to read? Now I've seen everything." Blake continued to give him the cold shoulder. "Come on Blakey, I'm trying here."

"I don't want you to try. I'm perfectly fine on my own."

"This doesn't have anything to do with the White Fang, does it?" Ringo guessed. She only seemed to have aggression towards the White Fang. At least, that's all he knew at the moment.

"No!" Blake gritted her teeth. She clenched onto Ringo's hand to the point of piercing through his skin.

""B-blake…" Blake loosened her grip. "Listen. We both got screwed over by Adam. I say you got it easy. Whatever you have to say shouldn't be something I can't handle."

"Liar! You don't know how it feels!" Blake fiercely fought the urge to cry.

"Blake, you already know what he did to me. You're the only one that I've told. So please." He clasped both his hands over hers. "Let me be the one to hear you out."

Blake's body trembled weakly. She stared at Ringo's caring face.

"R-really?"

"Really. You're hurting right now, Blake. As your… as your significant other, it's my job to be there for you!" Ringo spoke with passion. He almost chickened out in calling Blake his lover. Thankfully, he bravely acknowledged their relationship now.

 _'For Blake.'_

Blake rubbed her watery eyes, trying to not cry in front of Ringo. Once she was ready, Blake released a heavy sigh.

"Ringo, how did you get accepted to Beacon?"

Blake's question caught him off guard. "How did I get accepted into Beacon? Well, that's kind of a long story. You sure you want to hear it?" Blake nodded, curious to hear how he got into Beacon and compare it to her own experience.

"Alright then. I suppose it started right after I arrived in Vale. Fresh off the White Fang, I had to fend for my own without any money or food. I took shelter at Léry's Memorial Institute for a good two years. Keep in mind that I was only thirteen when I came to Vale."

Blake noted that Ringo talked about the same mental hospital that they rescued him from. It was real after all. Yet, she failed to ask him if it could ever disappear. It never crossed her mind until now that she was left with many questions waiting to be answered.

Ringo went on, "There was this nice girl there around my age. Her name's Emerald. I think she was the owner's daughter or something because she was the only normal one there. Anyway, together we boosted our semblance. It's similar in a way. We can both mess with people's minds."

"Emerald's the kind of friend I needed at the time. She's supportive, caring, and strong. I really needed that after being betrayed by the White Fang." Ringo smiled for a split second. "Then she insisted that I leave before something bad happened. So after some tough convincing, I left, leaving my first friend in Vale behind."

"It was actually stupid now that I think about it. When I went back out on the streets, I was right back at day one. So I wandered around Vale for several months. I eventually took up the role as a lackey for a group of criminals. We stole a lot of stuff. I became the second hand of a man, the first was a female a few years older than me. Hmm… what were their names again?"

Ringo took a full minute to think about it. Ultimately, he couldn't remember their names.

"The only thing that comes up to me is neapolitan ice cream… oh well. I only worked for them for about a year. Then I learned they were thinking about initiating an alliance with members of the White Fang, so I left. Because of what happened when I told Adam I was leaving, I left their organization without telling anyone. I also took their money. Hehe, dumbasses." Ringo chuckled, feeling proud of himself for doing that.

"That woman that was above me, the one that reminds me of ice cream, she saw me trying to leave with the money. I still don't know why to this day but she just stood there, watching me leave. She didn't even go alert anyone. I wasn't that close to her since she never spoke, like I literally never heard her speak once. We worked great in battle so that probably was why."

Ringo reached the ending of his story. "I lived in cheap motels and bought cheap food. That organization found out where I lived so they tried to ambush me. It would've worked. That woman knocked on my door and warned me with her hands that there were people coming. I ran out without grabbing my money. I ran and ran until I accepted bumped into Ozpin. He offered to accept me into Beacon and that's all there is to it."

Blake found his story somewhat similar to hers. She trusted his words as it greatly reflected off of what he's been telling everyone. He was a former criminal. He's been to Léry's Memorial Institute before. His love of money came from living off with a very low financial plan. He never got any school transcripts either.

They were both taken in by Professor Ozpin. He saw something in the two of them. They were nothing more than criminals, yet Ozpin's kind heart allowed them to come into Beacon.

She was still very worried about the White Fang. Roman Torchwick. Someone had to bring them down. Blake wondered how Ringo could be so calm about it. Adam has done more than enough to make Ringo behave jittery. Yet, he's sitting beside her with a smile on his face.

Now that Blake thought about it, Ringo did act that way during the beginning of the school year. But being with the team changed that.

"Ringo, we're in this as a team, right?"

"I'm not really sure what you're implying but sure. If you ever need any help we can overcome it together with everyone, as a team," Ringo responded.

It occured to Blake that Ringo wasn't there for their battle against Roman. She'd have to fill him in on it later. But for now, she was going to express her gratitude towards him.

She did that in the form of a kiss. Blake pounced on him like a cat catching a mouse. She pushed him against her bed, crashing her lips against his.

 _'Woah!'_ Ringo was pleasantly surprised by her forwardness. He wasn't complaining. He enjoyed this type of response from her.

The two kissed for about a minute. Ringo let his urges get the best of him and groped her butt. She responded to it with a sultry moan. Hearing her moans of satisfaction, Ringo had his hands all over her body, finding which places made her moan the loudest.

Caught up in the heat of the moment, Blake briefly broke the kiss. She straddled his midsection, removing her top. The sight of her bra caused Ringo to chuckle.

"What? Do you not like them?" Blake shyly hid her body, slightly afraid that Ringo was making fun of her body.

"No, no." Ringo eased her worries. He touched the hook of her bra. "This is that bra I told you to get that time we ran away. You slapped me for it, yet you bought it anyway."

"Shut up." Blake fiddled with his shirt. She helped Ringo remove it, leaving him shirtless too.

Ringo and Blake resumed their passionate kiss. He messily unhooked her bra and started to play with her breasts. They were bigger than Weiss' but they couldn't match up with Yang. Ringo didn't mind much if his growing erection had anything to say about it.

Feeling his hardening penis, Blake grinded onto his body a bit more aggressively. Their tongues fought for dominance, creating a hungry open mouth kiss between.

"Ugh, I knew we should have never let him play-woah!" The sound of Yang's voice immediately separated the two apart.

Ruby didn't notice them just yet. "You're just mad cuz that Jaune beat you! See if you have just… wha… wha… what!?" Now she did see them.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "You said you were going to check up on her…" She let out a huff of immense annoyance.

"I did check up on her. It just escalated a bit too quickly…" Ringo chuckled awkwardly, unknowingly squeezing Blake's breast.

"Ringo!" Blake slapped his hand away. She grabbed her top and used it to cover her modesty.

Ruby's eyes flashed before her eyes. "B-but Ringo is w-with Weiss … now he's with B-b-blake…? It doesn't make any sense! H-he wouldn't cheat, would he? But Weiss isn't angry about it!" She gained a pair of swirly eyes, confused about what she just witness. Ruby let out a whine and dramatically fainted.

"Look at what you've two have done because of your hardcore sex!" Yang berated the two.

"We weren't having sex!" Ringo and Blake cried out together.

"Sure you weren't." Yang playfully rolled her eyes. She lifted Ruby's upper body. "This poor, sweet innocent girl doesn't understand that type of stuff. Shame on you two!"

Ringo blinked. "Has no one told her the birds and the bees?" Yang coughed nervously. "Really? She's fifteen and she doesn't know about sex?"

"I'm not going to be the one that tells her!" Yang protested. "Dad's too much of a goofball to be able to tell her so we held it off."

"Yang, do you even know what sex is?" Ringo asked suspiciously.

"Of course I do!" Yang answered hotly. "If you want, I'll show you what I know right now~" She cooed seductively.

"You know what? All of you, out!" Weiss kicked Yang and a unconscious Ruby out the dorm. She then shoved Blake in the bathroom so she could change. "As for you!" She glared at Ringo, who was putting his shirt back on.

"I can see that you're mad. I'll just let you cool off." Ringo zipped to the door. However, Weiss caught him before he could make his escape.

"You and I are going to have a little talk about relationships," Weiss said in a low voice. Ringo gulped. "You were going to go have sex with Blake? Weren't you?"

"I don't know if things would've gone that out of hand!" Ringo admitted. "It just happened, like that time in the infirmary when we-"

"Shh!" Weiss hushed him up. "I don't think you're getting the point. I'm the one you're with, not Blake."

Ringo shyly peered at the ground. "Am I a bad person for liking two girls? I-I'm sorry Weiss, I don't know why I'm having these feelings for Blake. I understand if you'd want to break up with me."

Ringo felt awful that he had never taken Weiss' feelings to account. It most likely hurt her seeing him kissing another girl. He thought that he maybe had a problem if he was having these types of feelings for other girls.

Weiss shook her head. "I don't want to break up with you, idiot. I've already accepted this by now. You're not a bad person, Ringo. Your heart is in a good place," She informed him of her thoughts.

"So you don't care if Blake's with us?" Ringo frowned. "It even feels weird saying that."

Weiss grabbed his hands and looked him dead in the eye. "Do you love Blake?"

Ringo awkwardly nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Then there shouldn't be a problem. I may have never thought I'd be in this sort of relationship, but if it makes everyone happy then I have to go with it. Besides, with the Vytal Festival around the corner, our team needs to be the best shape we can to win. Broken hearts will only be our downfall. I'm with you and that's all that matters." Weiss spoke from the heart.

She wouldn't lie and say she thought it was weird at first to have multiple partners. She knew she didn't have to question Ringo's love for her. Weiss could ask him to leave Blake and he'd do it, or she could break up with him, which she wouldn't have done anyway. It wouldn't be fair to Blake and Ringo.

Ringo definitely had a big impact on Blake and vice versa. Separating them isn't the best course of action. She wanted to make a good impression at the Vytal Festival Tournament too.

At the end of the day, she belonged with Ringo either way.

"I don't get it. Why were you so annoyed with us at first?" Ringo asked, relieved that Weiss had no issue with all three of them being in a relationship.

"I'd rather not have Blake have too much time with you." Weiss leaned her head against his chest. "You have to love me more than Blake."

"That's a mean thing to say. I love you both equally." Ringo messed around with her hair, letting it fall down freely. "But if you want more attention, I'll be happy to do so."

Blake peeked out the bathroom door and heard everything that was said between the two. She felt warm inside, knowing that her relationship with Ringo could continue.

"Heyo!" Yang barged back in the dorm with a conscious Ruby. They chose a bad time to do so. Ringo and Weiss were in a middle of a gentle kiss.

"Eh!? N-now he's kissing Weiss? B-but… Blake… ugh…" Ruby fainted once more, earning a gasp from Yang.

"Really? At least use the gift Ruby and I gave you, Ring boy!" Yang searched around for her gift. Her first place to search was underneath his bed.

The gift was under his bed. Yang propped it out of its hiding spot and presented it to the kissing couple.

Weiss noticed it from the corner of her eye and momentarily broke the kiss. "What's this?"

"W-wait! No!" It was too late. Weiss opened the box. Yang began to snicker, amused by her reaction. Those snickers halted once a fierce snowy aura surrounded Weiss.

"Yang." The venom in Weiss' voice caused Yang to flinch.

"Y-yes, snow angel?" Yang used Ringo's former nickname for her to try and appease Weiss.

The aura around Weiss grew stronger. Ringo hid for cover, taking Silver Junior's cage with him to the bathroom. Blake was already there too.

Weiss dropped the gift box, revealing its contents. "Why are you giving my boyfriend condoms!?" On the floor, were boxes of condoms, courtesy of Yang and Ruby, mostly Yang… no all of it was from Yang. Ruby just tagged along.

"Ah!" Yang yelped. The aura coming from Weiss transformed into an icy tornado. Ruby's body was sucked into the snowstorm. "I was helping you! Safety first, Weiss! You don't want kids at such a young age, do ya!?" Yang's lame excuse escalated the situation even further.

"What Ringo and I do is none of your concern!" Weiss exploded. She chased a frightened Yang around the dorm, creating path of destruction and icicles everywhere she went.

"Oh man!" Ringo safely hid Silver Junior's cage inside the bathroom cabinet. The lazy hamster failed to awaken from the noise anyway. Blake peeked out the door, occasionally closing it when Weiss neared it.

"Blakey~" Blake felt a pair of arms wrapped around her body. "We didn't finish what we started before they so rudely interrupted us~"

 _'He really wants this bad.'_ Blake let out a low moan. _'Just like the male protagonist from Ninjas of Love…'_

Meanwhile, Weiss finally caught up to Yang, trapping her in the corner. The aura surrounding Weiss unleashed one final shockwave, obliterating Yang.

Weiss took several deep breaths, calming down her nerves. The aura diminished within seconds.

Yang's body is shown being on top of Ruby's. Much like her sister, she was out of it too.

"Huh?" Keeping quiet, Weiss heard the faint moans of Blake coming from the bathroom. Realizing what this meant, Weiss sighed.

Weiss grabbed a couple of towels and proceeded inside the bathroom, locking it tight.

* * *

Emerald Sustrai is on a mission. Alongside her partner, Mercury, and the one leading them, Cinder, they visited Beacon for one purpose.

"Alright, so just have to look for this bozo's dorm? Should be easy. Most of these idiots of their doors open," Mercury said to his female colleagues. "We know what his teammates look like too. And they're the only five person team."

"They stick out like abhorrent insects. You two know the plan. Find him and report back to me when you do," Cinder reminded them.

"Yeah, yeah." Mercury casually walked away, having no interest in searching so early.

"And you, Emerald." Cinder turned to Emerald next. "You're the one that has the advantage. It's a damn good lucky coincidence that you've met him in the past. Use his trust as your weapon." She grinned evilly, loving the fact that her main mission is much easier because of Emerald.

Emerald only nodded, remaining silent.

Cinder noticed this. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"Huh? What? Of course not! That idiot abandoned me. I hate him!" Emerald replied angrily.

Cinder scanned her face, finding no traces of her lying. Satisfied, she headed off to go find their dorms, leaving Mercury and Emerald to do the dirty work.

"Phew." Emerald banged her head on the wall. Her emotions almost got the best of her. If that were to happen in front of Cinder or Mercury, they'd cut her from the mission entirely.

A war clashed inside the mind of Emerald. On one hand, she was telling herself to go on with the mission to not disappoint Cinder. On the other hand, she wanted to prevent any of the sinister plans planned for Ringo.

Ringo was the first friend that she had ever made. She wished she could've met him on different circumstances. For the entirety of the two years that she was with him, Emerald lied to him.

She lived off at Léry's Memorial Institute alone. When Ringo came along, she staged an entire scheme to keep him there for as long as she pleased. Emerald used her semblance on Ringo. Every person he encountered was not real. It was only the two of them in there the whole time.

Those two years of Ringo's life were a lie, all because she wanted a friend. Emerald saw an opportunity and took it. From what she experienced, Ringo needed this too. There's a reason why he bothered to come to the building. He needed professional help, badly.

Emerald felt pretty proud of herself. She managed to soothe down most of his issues all on her own. She had to use her semblance on him whenever they were separated. Thanks to Ringo, her semblance was more stronger than before. They shared similar methods of fighting. It's only natural of them to practice with each other.

She struck up a deal with Cinder. Emerald requested Ringo to leave, in fear of his safety against someone like Cinder. She didn't want to have done it, but hard times fell upon her. She hid it well from Ringo. Being a thief was in her blood. The deal was too good to pass up.

Learning that the White Fang made him enemy number two sent chills down her spine. She made the right choice in getting him to leave. Otherwise, he'd have been captured.

That didn't matter now. Their mission was to go keep an eye on him. Months of trying to steer the attention on Ringo eventually failed. Now Emerald had to do this.

She had to make a choice.

Emerald wasn't sure on who to choose. So much could've happened between the time she left Ringo and now. Was he still the same person? The same person she grown to be very fond of all those years ago.

That's why she must find him first. If Cinder or Mercury found him first, they'll surely jeopardize her future interactions with him.

With that in mind, Emerald sought out to go find Ringo.

* * *

Ringo exited the bathroom not too long after Weiss and Blake did. He bore a red blush on his face as he came out.

"They're still out of it," Weiss noted, drying her wet hair with her towel. Yang and Ruby were still unconscious on the floor.

"It's your fault they're like this." Blake mused, drying her own hair too. She carefully placed her bow to cover her cat ears, opting to wear them to sleep tonight.

"That rebel shouldn't have gave Ringo condoms then. Speaking of which." Weiss picked up the gift box an threw it in the trash can.

"Eh? You wanna go unprotected?" Ringo read the situation wrong.

"I don't want to have sex period!" Weiss sported a heavy blush, embarrassing of speaking about the topic.

"You want to be a virgin forever then? No kids?" Ringo read her words wrong once again.

"I believe Weiss is trying to say that she's not ready just yet," Blake interjected so that the heiress wouldn't get anymore flustered.

Ringo showed an understanding face. "Oh… that makes sense. I don't want to rush you or seem like some kind of sexual deviant."

"Thank you." Weiss smiled, pleased that Ringo understood her preferences.

Ringo suddenly began to hear growing whispers in his head.

 _'Watch yourself!'_

 _'The Entity will not protect you any longer. The Entity is displeased!'_

 _'You'll be gone before you know it!'_

 _'Don't trust any newcomers! The day is approaching!'_

Ringo instantly rushed over and shut the door. He learned over time that the whispers only talked to him when there was some sort of danger close by, like the Grimm back at Forever Fall and Penny's arrival.

What scared him the most was that all the predictions that the voices make were usually spot on. If he had to guess, he was going to perish by the newcomers, which he assumed to be the transfer students coming in.

"Ringo?" Weiss called out to him. "Are you alright?"

Ringo hopped into bed and pulled the covers over him. "Yeah! I just wanna sleep with my two beautiful girlfriends!"

Weiss' eyes sharpened at him. "While I do appreciate the compliment, you're not one to go to bed this early."

"She's right," Blake agreed.

"Listen, trust me on this one, okay? I just want to sleep with my two favorite people," Ringo pleaded. He sincerely hoped that he'd be let off with a slap on the wrist or maybe the voices were wrong. If not, he wanted to spend his time with Weiss and Blake as much as possible.

"If you're so sure about it." Weiss could tell that he spoke the truth, judging by the look of desperation in his eyes.

A few minutes have passed and the three were laying comfortably on Ringo's bed. Weiss held on to his right arm while Blake took his left.

"Goodnight you two." Ringo kissed them both goodnight. They closed their eyes, attempting to slumber in loving peace.

Unfortunately for them, someone else decided to join in.

"Yeah, guys! Goodnight!" Having finally awoken from her scramble against Weiss, Yang joined the three. She laid on top of Ringo, purposely pressing her large bosom onto his chest.

"I certainly didn't agree to this," Weiss grumbled, a little agitated about having Yang intrude. What's worse is that she started to use her large chest to get into Ringo's head.

"Neither did I." Blake also became jealous at the scene.

"I don't think Ringo minds, do you?" Yang purred.

"N-no…" Ringo's mind went haywire, feeling her breasts squished against him. His hands were kept back by Weiss and Blake as they both gripped his arm.

"We're in due of another date. Maybe this time I'll let you-"

"What are you all doing?"

Yang's teasing was cut off when Ruby spoke up. They all froze, turning their heads to see Ruby standing next to the bed in her pajamas. How she changed into them so fast blew their mind.

"Oh! Uh… hey Rubes!" Yang smiled nervously. "I thought you were still unconscious."

"No. I woke up a few seconds ago." Ruby observed the scene in front of her. Her teammates were all sharing one bed, including her own sister. They clinged onto Ringo. "Are we having a sleepover or something?"

"Yes!" Yang shouted quickly. "Yes! That's it! We're having a sleepover even though we share a dorm together!" She called out the error in Ruby's logic unintentionally. Luckily, Ruby didn't catch it.

"Oh. Okay." Not wanting to feel left out, Ruby slept on the bottom edge of the bed. Due to her small form, she easily had enough room.

"That was close." Yang felt guilty that Ruby was sleeping at the bottom edge, where she could potentially get pushed off by their feet. So, being the caring big sister that she is, Yang carried Ruby in her arms and placed her on her original spot, on top of Ringo.

"I'll let you three have fun. Goodnight!" Even though there could be enough room for her to squeeze in, Yang chose to go sleep on her own bed anyway.

Ruby's hands clutched Ringo's shirt. She lazily nuzzled her head against him, muttering some random words out of her mouth in her sleep. Ringo found her light snoring cute.

Blake seemed calm about it. Weiss was the opposite. She wanted Ruby here less than Yang.

"Mmmm… cookies…" Ruby said in her sleep. The level of cuteness factored in Ringo's decision of letting her stay.

"It's just for the night, Weiss."

"That's what you said about Yang." Weiss pushed Ruby closer to Blake's side so she'd have more room.

Seeking the comfort that he yearned for after the scare, Ringo embraced his three teammates. He shortly fell asleep soon after.

* * *

"Well?" Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury met back up at night. Cinder scowled, seeing them come back empty-handed.

"I may have or may have not gotten distracted." Mercury smirked. "There's some real hot ones in this academy. Don't be too jealous, Emerald."

Emerald didn't respond to his joke. "I searched every open door. No signs except for one door that was shut before I got there," She responded honestly, mental slapping herself for spilling the beans.

"Then we'll check that dorm out first thing in the morning. In the meantime, we must get to our own dormitory building to not raise suspicion." Cinder slapped Mercury across the face, cleaning his smirk right off. "We aren't here to have fun. You know what we must do. I better not find out you've been slacking off again."

Mercury grunted, forcefully nodding his head. There was no other choice than to listen to Cinder. She'll do far worse things and he knew it.

Just then, a pair of students walked by.

"Ugh. Next time, don't accept Ringo's stupid challenge. What were you thinking!? We can't beat that guy and his girlfriend!" The girl scolded her teammate for accepting his duo challenge without her consent. It sent them both a trip to the medical wing.

"Sorry! Geez. I thought I could take him and shut him up for once. All he's been doing is bragging about his winning streak. Mark my words, once someone beats him, he'll be no more like the rest of us." Her teammate put her hand on her chest, vowing her words.

"Yeah! Once he loses, he'll be a shell of his former self." Their voices could no longer be heard once they were a far enough distance away from the evil trio.

An evil grin formed on Cinder's lips. "Oh? We can break him more by having him lose? This is perfect."

Mercury put his hand on his chin in thought. "I would say that I should be the one that faces him because I am the strongest one." Cinder and Emerald glared at him for his claim. "But Emerald has more of an advantage because she knows him inside and out. I'll so graciously let you do the honors, Emerald." He bowed mockingly.

"You finally use your brain for once." Cinder rolled her eyes. "It's a plan. Emerald, you'll accept his little challenge whenever we have this class in."

Emerald quietly gulped. "You got it!"

The three of them walked to the direction of their dormitory, all aware of what they had to do to their target, Ringo Yin.

Also known as the White Fang and Roman Torchwick's primary top enemies.

* * *

 **Second Author Note: So we'll have the next episode of RWBY in the next chapter. As promised I got the final list of the harem right here.**

 **In the harem: Weiss, Blake, Ruby, Yang, Coco, Velvet, Penny, Winter, Emerald, Neo, Team NDGO, and the Malachite sisters.**

 **I cut a couple of characters from the selection, such as Nora and Raven. I've already explained Nora's reasoning. As for Raven, yeah… I think the weirder side of it did it for me, having three family members in the harem. Sorry to those that did wanted her in. Ilia, I thought about and decided to keep her canon sexuality. Maybe something will happen down the road as it'll be a while until she's introduced**.

 **I added Team NDGO and the Malachite sisters into the harem. Both were suggestions from JohnyXD. I like the idea of Team NDGO in it simply due to the fact that they're all from Vacuo, like Ringo so they can connect more with him because of their homeland. The Malachite sisters are an oddball in the harem. I liked their characters enough for them to be in it after rewatching Painting the Town. They'll be introduced in the following chapter after the next one.**

 **So yeah, that's the harem I have going for this story. I grabbed suggestions from all those who reviewed to satisfy everyone. With that said, stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	15. Painting the Town

**Author's Note: I don't really know how this chapter turned out. I think it's decent at least. It introduces Neo and the Malachite sisters. I don't have Ringo involved in the whole Penny fiasco and the fight between Roman solely because I don't see any point of putting him in those scenes. Though, I will have Penny tell Ringo her secret on a later time. This chapter combines two episodes in one.**

 **Someone recommended Danganronpa to me and I've been hooked to it. I might start a fanfic on it soon, I'm just putting it out there in case my usual weekly updates for this fanfic turn to bi-weekly updates**

 **Aldra5500: Woo! Neo!**

 **The Headless chicken: You're on the right path. The truth of why Goodwitch dislikes Ringo is because of that.**

 **razmire: You're right on both parts. That is the reason as to why Goodwitch dislikes Ringo. And Emerald did in fact use her illusions on Ringo and faked the whole patients in the institution for a whole two years.**

 **Blaze1992: The 'ol CB back at it again.**

 **Guest Q: You will be seeing DBD characters, but it won't be what you might be expecting. It will be crazy, that's a guarantee.**

 **With those nice reviews answered, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

The following morning, most members of Team RRWBY were awake. Weiss, Blake, and Yang were all dressed in their school uniform, ready to get the day started.

Those not remotely up were Ringo and Ruby. They happily doze off, embracing each other in their sleep.

"Hehehe…" Ruby giggled in her sleep. She was safely hidden underneath the covers, hugging him delightfully without anyone seeing her.

"She's awake..." Yang spat out, envying Ruby.

"I'll get them both up." Rolling her sleeves up, Weiss marched up to the two unsuspecting teammates.

She lifted up the covers of the bed. Weiss eyes widened. Ringo was running his hands through Ruby's short crimson hair, causing her to giggle every so often. They were both awake, in reality faking their sleep.

"Aw… we've been caught," Ringo pouted.

Weiss wasn't having any of it. "Up! Up! It's time to go to classes!"

She punt kicked both Ringo and Ruby off the bed and shoved Ringo in the bathroom with her.

* * *

Following the rude awakening, Team RRWBY were sitting in Professor Port's class. The professor was rambling on about one of his stories back in his childhood.

After resisting the urge to fall asleep in class for Weiss, Ringo couldn't take it anymore and fell asleep anyway. Ruby and Yang followed his lead. After all, they were going to need all the rest they could get for later.

"Ringo…" Weiss sighed. She gave him credit for trying his best anyway. The heiress intertwined their hands together on top of the desk. He squeezed her hand weakly. "At least your semi-conscious in your sleep.

Jaune Arc sat on her other side. He frowned at the display, though he mustered up some confidence.

"So, Weiss, y'know, uh, I-I was thinking after this, maybe we could go grab a bite to eat? Ringo's asleep and all," Jaune gulped, watching Ringo stir in his sleep for a second. "And, uh um, I-I've got two tickets to that new Spruce Willis movie, if you wanna make the trip to Vale. I hear it's awesome." He paused, getting no reaction form Weiss.

He continued to press his luck. "Aaaand maybe after that, we could study together? I mean, you're smart and I'm, uh... Y'know."

The clock that Weiss was staring at beeped, signaling the end of class. Professor Port heard the alarm loud and clear.

"And then I…" The professor stopped, straightening his posture. "Timed that one wrong, I guess. Well, the stunning conclusion to this story will have to wait. Until next time!" He dismissed his last class of the day.

Weiss shook Ringo violently. He awoke with a gasp, falling over to the ground.

"Weiss, did you hear me?" Jaune asked hesitantly as Ringo was brought back to his senses.

"No. No. No. Yes." Weiss answered each of Jaune's questions, lending a hand to Ringo. He groggily took it. "I'd appreciate it if you stop asking me such questions."

Jaune hung his head in shame. He groaned and banged his forehead on the desk. Weiss being swept away by Ringo had to be one of the worst things to happen to him.

Ringo and Weiss departed from the classroom, followed by Blake, Ruby, and Yang.

Yang ruffled his messy blond hair. "Jaune, don't be that type of guy."

Jaune only groaned louder.

* * *

With classes over, Team RRWBY were in their dorm, getting ready to go and investigate. Well, everyone but Ringo.

Ringo watched the girls finishing up adjusting their gear. They all acquired different battle clothing to spice things up.

"I thought that class would never end." Blake spoke, tightening the wraps on her wrists.

"Alright guys! Today's the day! The investigation begins!" Ruby squealed, hoping off her bunk bed hanging from the ceiling. She almost hit Weiss on her way down.

"I'm glad to see we're taking this so seriously," Weiss said sarcastically.

"Hey! We got a plan! That's moderately serious," Yang defended.

"Right!" Ruby looked at each member of the team. "Everyone remember their roles?"

Weiss placed a hand over her chest, smirking. "You and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies. Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem." She smirked because her family name actually played an important role in their plan.

Blake went next. "The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard…" Yang rubbed her hands like an evil villain.

Everyone then looked at Ringo. He cringed and looked at the wall, finding interest in it.

"Did we even assign a role for Ring boy?" Yang asked aloud.

"Ehehe. That's because I'm sort of staying here." Ringo rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

He had his reasons. Because of yesterday, he became more aware of his surroundings. Slowly, he was reverting back to his paranoid self. Danger could be lurking around any corner. He couldn't take any chances. Naturally, Ringo wanted to be alive, even if it meant sitting out for this one.

"Ringo? You said you'd helped me," Blake reminded him, hurt that he suddenly forgot all about their talk yesterday.

Ringo felt a huge blow strike his stomach. The guilt weighed him down even more now that she called him out on it.

"I-I did but not today. I don't feel safe going out at night," Ringo admitted, avoiding her eyes.

"Ringo, you aren't making up excuses, are you?" Weiss stared him down, like a hawk eyeing its prey.

Seeing no other option, Ringo reluctantly told them of the whispers in his head. He included the part where a high percentage of their whispers turned out to be true.

He spoke with fear evident in his voice. The same type of fear he came with when they first met him. He sounded so frail, completely unlike his more confident self during duels.

"You can give me all the money in the world but I still won't go!" Ringo even refused money as payment to get him to go. Money was the thing he treasured the most, behind Weiss and Blake that is.

The sound of beeping caught Ringo's attention. He slowly turned his head, facing the same wall his bed was pressed against. A red blinking light faintly blinked.

"What in the…?" Ringo approached the wall and made a hole with his staff, despite everyone's protest.

He let out a shrill scream. Inside the wall was a video camera facing his own bed. Someone's been watching him.

"Oh hell no! No way I'm leaving now!" Ringo destroyed the camera and hid underneath Weiss' bed.

"Did any of you put the camera there?" Weiss questioned her teammates. Yang whistled awkwardly, immediately putting the blame on herself. "Why… just why would you put a camera there?"

Yang smiled perversely. "Well, I can't ask Ringo to take off his shirt for me with you and Blake around, now can I?" Her playful retort resorted in her getting a book thrown at her face by Blake.

"Yeah! Spying at someone sleeping isn't creepy at all!" A voice cried from out the window. Sun is seen hanging upside down by his tail on the open window.

"Sun?!" Blake was stunned to see the final member of the Treehouse Committee outside the window.

"How did you get up there!?" Yang asked, mystified.

"Ah, it's easy. I do it all the time," Sun replied nonchalantly.

Weiss' face scrunched up in disgust. "You do what?!"

"I climb up trees all the time." He slyly smiled, unfazed by Weiss' scowl. Sun flipped inside the dorm. "So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

Blake stepped forward to give him the news. "We are going to investigate the situation… as a team."

"Sorry Sun, we don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to," Ruby apologized, appreciating the fact that he wanted to help out regardless.

"Psh! That's dumb! We should always get friends involved! That's why I brought Neptune!"

Confused, the girls looked out the window. Indeed, Neptune stood at the edge of the building, masking a brave face on.

"Sup?" He greeted cooly.

"How did you even get up there?" Ruby asked a similar question like with Sun.

"I have my ways." Neptune gulped. "Seriously, though, can I come in? We're like, really high up right now."

After helping Neptune get inside the dorm, the six began devising a plan together.

"Hey. Where's the leader of the Treehouse Committee?" Sun questioned aloud, noticing Ringo's absence.

"He's currently going throw some problems of his own." Yang pointed at the bottom of Weiss' bed. Ringo curled up under the bed, rocking his body back and forth. "What happened this time? Hey, buddy. It's me, your pal Sun!"

Sun crouch down to meet Ringo's level.

Ringo's pupils dilated. "Ah! A newcomer!" On queue, Silver Junior sprang into action and attacked his mortal enemy, Sun Wukong.

"Oh no! Not the hamster!" Sun ran around in circles while Silver Junior attacked him from behind.

Ringo's eyes landed on Neptune next. "Eeek! Another newcomer!" He threw his staff at Neptune, electrocuting him in the process.

"Neptune… down…" Neptune collapsed on the floor, black smoke steaming from his body.

"No…" Sun also collapsed on top of his teammate. Silver Junior rejoiced in victory before returning to his cage.

"Don't trust any newcomers! The day is approaching!" Ringo recited the words of the voices inside his head.

"Ringo! They're our friends!" Ruby disapproved of Ringo's actions.

"They're newcomers!"

"They were our friends before you had those stupid voices in your head! You can't just attack them! We trust them. Sun's been there for you, hasn't he?" Ruby raised her voice, defending her friends.

Ringo went wide eyed at her statement. He huffed and turned his back against her.

The unconscious duo woke up after five minutes. By then, Team RWBY were ready to leave.

"We've decided that you two will watch over Ringo while we're gone," Weiss announced, shocking both Sun and Neptune.

"What!?" They both cried out in shock.

"You two said you wanted to get involved. So you are by watching Ringo for us," Yang confirmed.

"Why isn't he going with you four?" Sun asked, not okay with getting stuck with babysitting duty.

"He's convinced that there's someone out to get him. He's too paranoid to be go outside," Ruby explained to the two foreign students.

"You're going to trust him just like that?" Neptune groaned, feeling disappointed too.

"Well, we trust him way more than you. If he's so sure that he's being targeted then I believe him." Weiss glared at the blue haired boy, causing him to flinch.

"It'll be easy. One of you can watch the door and the other can watch the window." Yang patted Sun's shoulder.

"That isn't too difficult for you, is it?" Blake quirked an eyebrow, questioning Sun's capabilities.

"As if! I'm the babysitting champ! Ringo is in good hands!" Sun boasted, jabbing his thumb towards himself.

Blake nodded, "Good." Her eyes briefly turned into cat-like slits. "And if anything were to happen to him while under your watch…"

"It'll be fine! How hard could it be watching over someone?" Neptune added his two cents in, agreeing with the terms for now. Sun reluctantly nodded, standing next to his teammate.

"Ringo." Weiss placed his scroll right next to him. "If you need anything, just call us. Likewise, if one of us needs backup, you'll come straight to us. Bring Sun and Neptune with you too."

"Okay…" Ringo responded quietly.

"Here, I have your favorite drink too. And that plush you like so much." Weiss placed the two items underneath the bed.

"Alright! Let's go catch that Torchwick guy!" Ruby exclaimed.

"W-wait!" Ringo slipped out of his hiding place before the four girls left. "Did you say Torchwick?"

"Uh yeah. Have we never told you about him?" Ruby thought that they'd discussed about Roman Torchwick with Ringo. Then it occurred to her that he was never there when she, Blake, Sun, and Penny stopped him and his gang.

"Torchwick… Roman Torchwick!" Ringo's eyes twinkled, finally remembering who he worked for. "I remember his name! That's the guy I worked with, Blake!"

Blake's eyes lit up, hoping Ringo had some extra Intel on Torchwick since he worked with him for a year. Not to mention, he was third in command for Torchwick.

"Wait. Why are you only telling Blake everything? Do you trust her more than me?" Weiss' jealousy came through in full force.

Ringo dodged the question. "I-I'm not hiding this time! I can help! I know tons of information on Roman!" He overcame his frightened state, wanting to help out the team in any way he can.

Plus, it's Roman Torchwick they're talking about. He's been meaning to pay him a visit, and he may or may not rob him again.

"Sweet!" Sun and Neptune high fived each other. This meant that they could join in on their adventure after all.

"I'm coming with Yang. Sun can go with you Blake, you two make a great team." Ringo decided that he'd go with Yang. It's a more safer approach, unlike Blake's plan to infiltrate White Fang territory. Sun and Blake work well with each other, so he assigned Sun with her instead.

Yang and Sun's faces lit up, while the smile on Weiss and Blake's face dropped.

"Actually, how about Ruby goes with Yang? After all, she is her sister." Weiss tried to convince Ruby to switch roles with Ringo. That way, he could accompany her.

"But Weiss, who would go with you then?" Ruby quiered.

"Well obviously Ringo will come with me."

"Sorry Ice Queen, I'm going with Yang. It's more safer to go with the strongest person in the team," Ringo said honestly. He believed Yang had the most strength in the team.

"You bet your cute face I am!" Yang slithered her arm around around Ringo's waist.

"Oh, and Neptune." Ringo faced Neptune last. "I don't know much about you. I guess you can go with whoever you feel you'll work best with."

"I'll join your team then." Neptune, in a surprising turn of events, decided to join Ringo and Yang's team.

"Great! Then it's settled!" Ruby dragged Weiss out of the dorm. Sun did the same, much to Blake's annoyance.

Ringo, Yang, and Neptune remained in the room.

"I'm taking Silver Junior to Team CFVY's dorm. I believe it's best for him to stay with Velvet until everything is sorted out." Ringo carried his hamster's enormous cage in his arms. As usual, Silver Junior happily dozed off without a care in the world.

"We'll meet you outside then." Ringo left the room.

He walked up the flight of stairs, arriving at the second year level. Ringo recognized some of the students roaming around the hallway.

He ignored there glares and followed the directions Velvet gave him to their dorm. When he got there, Ringo politely knocked on the door.

Velvet opened the door. She was surprised to see him outside the door. "Ringo?"

"Hey Velvet. Listen, I need a huge favor from you." Ringo dropped the cage on the floor gently. "I need you to look after Silver Junior for a while. I'll reward you with anything you want."

Velvet's cheeks tinted red. "A-anything?"

"Thanks! You're the best!" Ringo hugged her quickly, and then guided his way to the exit.

Along the way, a sneaky feeling slowly enraptured his head. He looked back, spotting no one behind him.

Not trusting this for a bit, Ringo sprinted off as fast he can.

A figure crept out from the shadows, giggling sinisterly.

"Found you."

* * *

"This totally blows!"

"Tell me about it! I had to pay good money to the students of the engineering course to get this thing added so shut your yaps!"

"I'll happily trade places with him!"

"Oh no you don't!"

Right now, Yang was driving her beloved motorcycle to their destination. Sitting behind her was Ringo, who had his arms wrapped around her tightly. Apparently, the speed of which Yang was driving was too much for him to handle.

Neptune on the other hand, sat on the tiny sidecar messily attached to the motorcycle. Yang forced a group of students to install it to her vehicle so Neptune could join them.

Yang felt a hand grabbed onto her breast. "Hey! Watch your hands! I'm driving, save it for another day!" She did her best to focus on the road.

"If you drive slower I wouldn't have my hands all over the place!"

"Fine!" Yang relented. She slowed down the speed of her motorcycle. Ringo released his hand from Yang's breast and relaxed his grip around her body.

They eventually pull up at a suspicion part of Vale. Most buildings were in ruins.

Yang took off her helmet and got off. "Come on. My friend's right in here!" While Yang calmly got off Bumblebee, Ringo and Neptune were in a far more terrified state.

"Cool. And where exactly is here?" Neptune first got off the sidecar, in a much better condition than Ringo.

Ringo's vision came back to him. He recognized the area in a jiffy. "W-wait! I can't be here!"

Yang pulled him off Bumblebees herself. "Aw, don't be such a baby!"

"No! This is Junior's place! I robbed him before!" Ringo's words fell deaf upon Yang's ears. She carried him inside the bar, sealing his fate.

The music in Junior's bar boomed boisterously. Junior himself, was behind a counter, adjusting his cuffs. A couple of his henchman were working diligently.

Yang burst through the door, inflicting a small explosion at the entrance.

"Guess who's back!" Yang hollered happily. She posed as eight guns were pointed directly at her face.

Neptune appeared beside her. "Yeah, so could you define friend for me?"

Junior shoved past his henchman. "Stop! Stop! Nobody shoot." He set his eyes on Yang. "Blondie, you're here. Why?"

One of them henchman caught Ringo hiding behind Yang. He pointed his gun at him, the others following suit.

"Hey, boss! It's the bastard that robbed us!" The henchman informed him.

"Huh?" Yang stepped aside in order to present Ringo to Junior.

Junior's eyes sharpened at the trembling teen. "Why you little shit! I give you everything you want and you backstab me and steal my money! You have the guts to show your face around here again?!" The man was beyond furious. He lost half of his income thanks to Ringo. It's a miracle that he even managed to recover from the money that Ringo stole.

"You know what?" Ringo wasn't going to let Junior of all people push him around. "I don't regret stealing from you! I used most of that money as a donation for the local orphanage!"

Junior gasped, falling to one knee. "Ack! Anything but that! What a waste of my hard earned money!" He clasped his hand over his wrenching heart.

"And then I bought drinks for everyone at the rival bar that you hate so much!"

"N-no!" Junior held onto his chest tighter. "I-I give you a job! I give you free drinks from time to time! I even give you women and this is how you repay me?!"

Ringo towered over the grieving Junior. "First off, this job sucks! You pay me way less than everyone else. Secondly, you spit in my drinks when you think I'm not looking! And thirdly, you make it sound like I took advantage of Malachite twins! I've never touched them like that! Though, I did always like Miltia the best…"

Ringo grinned, remembering back to the times when he teased the hell out of Miltia. Her twin sister, Melanie would never allow him to say such things to her, so Miltia often received his teasing. The best thing about it was that Miltia was the quiet one, so her reactions were more funnier.

It just so happened that the Malachite twins were standing right beside him. Ringo sweatdropped, picturing the grave being dug up for him once Melanie was done with him.

"Whatever," Melanie huffed, walking away to who knows where. Miltia merely stared at him, not following after her twin sister.

"Miltia! Hehe! Long time no see!" Ringo got behind her and wrapped her in a choke hold. The weirdest thing that came out of the exchange was that Miltia appeared to be enjoying it.

"How many girls do you plan on entrancing?! You already proposed to someone!" Yang chewed him out for his foolery.

Miltia's hand smacked Ringo's cheek. She held her head up high and walked off.

"Wait? He's already getting married!? With who?!" Neptune cried out in shock.

Ringo rubbed his stinging cheek. "Dude, I'm eighteen. And who else am I marrying? Weiss Schnee… though she hasn't said yes yet. But she's still wearing the ring!" He didn't let her shyness towards the subject get to him. All that matter was that Weiss continued wearing the ring. It gave him hope on the idea of marriage.

"I'm happy for you two…" Neptune, similar to Junior, fell to his knees in a defeated manner.

"Eh? My former good for nothing employee is going to marry a Schnee?" Junior gain interest, losing his anger. "I see. I see. Marrying a Schnee will get you the big bucks to repay me everything that you stole."

Ringo flipped him off. "I'm not marrying Weiss for the money, you asshole. And even if I did have that type of money, I would spend it all on something important like the wedding. Nothing for you!"

"You're more greedier than me," Junior grumbled. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't have my henchmen shoot you?"

"He's with me." Yang stepped in to avoid any further conflict between both parties.

"Fine. But I don't want to see his stupid face! Go somewhere else while we talk!" Junior demanded, not taking no for answer. Ringo didn't waste time. He left the area, presumably going to look for the twins.

"You didn't have to be an asshole to my teammate." Yang controlled her fury… for now.

Junior smacked his forehead. "Of course! The boy who robbed me should be let off the hook!" He said sarcastically. "Keep an eye on that one. He'll butter you all up with that facade of his. Next thing you know, he strikes."

"Whatever." Yang rolled her eyes, not bothering to hear him out. She knew it wasn't true. Ringo wouldn't play with their hearts. That just wasn't him.

Yang grabbed Junior by the arm and dragged him with her.

"What a women…" Neptune fawned over Yang and her badass attitude. He followed her and Junior, not knowing what to expect to pop up during their interrogation.

* * *

"Miltia… stop… we can't do this anymore." Ringo did his best to fight off Miltia's advances. He relocated himself at the back of Junior's bar. It's where the employees hanged during break.

Ringo sat on the couch, suffering the wrath of one Miltia Malachite. She sat next to him, clinging onto his arm. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I thought you had higher standards for men? I was just a guy wandering Vale last time you saw me!" Ringo tried to convince Miltia that he was nothing more than a wanderer back when he worked here. If Miltia was anything like her twin sister then she'd have higher standards for men too.

"He's right. That bag of dirt isn't good anything for you," Melanie said in her usual arrogant tone. "Besides, he's going to get married. You don't want to be a homewrecker, do you?"

This earned her the stink eye from Miltia. "Hmph!" She remained adamant on the matter.

 _'This is what I get for leading her on for so long.'_ Ringo blamed himself for this. Truth be told, Miltia was the second girl he ever had a crush on. Those feelings slowly dispelled once he left and robbed Junior. Her silent nature made him head over heels for her.

 _'Maybe that's why I fell for Blake too.'_ Ringo thought. He told Miltia about his feelings, but she never said anything. Rejection at its best. Or so he thought. Miltia never revealed her thoughts on his feelings to him, but she showed it plain as day.

"Please, Miltia. I've moved on. I'm living a nice, somewhat wealthy life." Ringo phrased his wording a bit. The money he stole and is in his possession back in the dorm was enough to have people fight over it. If he were to marry in the Schnee family, then money wouldn't be an issue.

 _'Coming to this place has me thinking of marriage too much now. Cripes. Now that I think about it, their standards include money too.'_

Miltia used her womanly charm and straddled his hips. She leaned her face dangerous close to his face.

"I thought you liked me," Miltia growled, gripping his shoulders with fierce strength. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

"I… well… you never said anything to me when I confessed!" Ringo countered.

"Hold on. When did this happen?!" Melanie demanded an answer. Receiving none, she pushed Miltia off of Ringo and took her spot. "Am I not good enough for you!? What does she have that I don't? We're twins!"

"Melanie! Not you too!" Ringo groaned. Je should've realized sooner that Melanie would have something to say about this. After all, they did keep the confession a secret.

Miltia moved Melanie to the left so she could have room on his lap too.

"Well? Which one of us is the better twin now?" Melanie asked him. She and her twin sister impatiens waited for his response.

"Did I already say I have a girlfriend?" Ringo sweatdropped.

Just then, Yang barged her way into the room. "Ring boy! We're leaving." She saw the twin sister straddling Ringo. "Really? You have a thing for twin sisters now? Was Ruby and I not enough?"

"Now is not the time Yang!" Ringo felt Melanie hop off him and approach Yang.

"So you're his new girlfriend? What's the big deal? You don't look like much." Melanie scoffed.

"It's because of that big chest. Ringo, you pervert." Miltia joined her sister in inspecting Yang.

"Well, I don't mean to brag but I am pretty awesome." Yang struck a pose, showcasing her beauty. A spotlight shined on her as she did so.

"Uh… yea! Let's get out of here!" Ringo bolted out the room, grabbing Yang's hand on the way.

"Melanie! You said you were going to back down!" Miltia cried out to her sister.

Melanie tilted her head to the side, crossing her arms. "I changed my mind."

The two twin sisters were called over by Junior to get back to work. They glared at each other, intensifying their rivalry over Ringo.

* * *

"You're one sick man. You have a thing for twins too? Next you're going to tell me you like women that don't even talk." Yang pinched Ringo's ear, shoving him inside the sidecar.

"It's not my fault. I kinda liked one of them before I even came to Beacon," Ringo replied shyly, mentally slapping himself afterwards. He has Weiss and Blake. There shouldn't be any complaints coming from him.

"Twins can be real evil." Neptune hopped on the back of the main seat, excited to ride behind Yang. "What if they like pretend to be each other. You could be dating the wrong twin and they'd dump you for not knowing who is who."

Ringo gazed at him strangely. "You speak as if it's from your personal experience." Neptune's oddly specific warning sounded too real to not be true.

Neptune blushed, chuckling nervously. "Uh… no comment."

Yang strolled her way to her motorcycle. Neptune grinned, rubbing his hands together. Once she sat down on Bumblebee, Neptune almost dangled his arms around her waist.

"What do you think you're doing? Strong guys like you shouldn't need to hug me for support." Yang cheekily patted Neptune's head.

"B-but…" Neptune stuttered, disappointed. "He got to do it!" He pointed an accusing finger at Ringo.

"That's because I wanted him to touch me. Hehehe~" She giggled slyly, sending an alluring stare at Ringo. Ringo squeezed himself inside the sidecar, barely finding any room to spare.

"Just drive Yang."

"Aye, aye! Captain!" Yang drove at alarming speeds, much faster than before. Not gaining any information from Junior pissed her off. Going at a 'normal' speed is exactly what she needed to cool off.

"S-slow down!" Ringo noticed the bolts connected the sidecar to the motorcycle begin to loosen. Yang let out an elated cry, loving the rush of riding her motorcycle.

"I got you!" Luckily, Neptune heard him and bashed the bolts back in with his hand. He regretted it, feeling pain surge within his fist. "Gah!"

"Look under my beeed!" Ringo instructed him, his tone reaching its highest peak possible. The sidecar broke apart from the motorcycle.

"Noooo!" The sidecar crashed into a nearby building. Yang never stopped, possibly due to her not hearing his screams. If so, he was going to give her an earful with Weiss.

 _'Shit! Of course I'm crashing at the dangerous part of town!'_

"Well, well, well. Who do we have here?" Ringo gasped, feelings something being wrapped around his neck. It was a metal collar.

Ringo tried using Shock Therapy, but the collar absorbed every ounce of electricity he could muster. A heavy chain acted as a pair of handcuffs, wrapping around Ringo's body painfully. This preventing him from grabbing his weapon and using his semblance to create a bundle of Shock Therapy at the ground.

"Who should we turn him over to? I hate that Roman guy." The voice of his captor asked his buddy.

"Adam doesn't want him… not yet. To be a baby. Just call Roman."

"Ugh, fine."

'Roman? Adam?' Ringo knew there was only one organization who his captors belonged to.

He finally got captured by the White Fang.

When all hope seemed lost, a miracle happened.

"RINGO!" He heard a feminine voice cry out, along with the pained groans from the men.

His savior was someone he never expected to see again.

"Emerald!?" His heart soared, happy to see his first friend again. She looked down at him and smiled. "Whoa! How did you find me?"

"I just so happened to be wandering around these parts." Emerald's poor excuse went unnoticed by Ringo. He was too happy to see her again that anything serious traveled past his ears.

This is later proven when Emerald snapped the chains of with ease. Ringo didn't question this. He captured Emerald in a monster bear hug.

"I thought I would never see you again. I checked Léry's Memorial Institute again but you weren't there. I'm so glad you're okay!" Ringo was too busy hugging her to spot what Emerald did.

Emerald looked back at the snapped chains and the defeated White Fang grunts. Closing her eyes for a hot second, she reopened them and saw that there were no traces of them left.

 _'I'm sorry Ringo. This was the only way to reintroduce myself.'_ Emerald felt guilty for faking a crime scene, more specifically a kidnapping. She believed if she 'saved' Ringo from an incident, then she could get on his good side in a jiffy. It worked like a charm. Though, she wondered if it would've worked without doing this.

It's like picturing Ringo as a damsel in distress. Emerald pictures the illusions in her mind too, so she'd receive the full experience along with Ringo. The good thing was that Ringo failed to detect the tampering of his mind.

 _'He was always bad at that during practice.'_ Emerald followed him ever since Cinder told her and Mercury that she saw him on the second floor of the main dormitory building. She went solo without the consent of Cinder. Her plan wouldn't have worked out with her or Mercury here.

She loosed the bolts on the sidecar while he was inside Junior's bar. Then she continued trailing them on foot until the sidecar eventually broke. Emerald was thankful for her speed. She was fast enough to catch up with Yang's reckless driving.

Ringo remained the same type of person she met all those years ago. The same person she recognized as her first and only friend. Knowing this, Emerald's personal mission took into effect.

To protect Ringo from the White Fang.

Sure, she'd be risking her life by fraternizing with the enemy. Her reputation as a thief could potentially tarnish. Cinder will most likely beat her and dump her in the middle of the ocean.

She said to hell with it! If Ringo did fall to the White Fang, she'd live the rest of her life knowing that she killed off her friend. While thieves shouldn't have friends in the first place, Emerald was willing to break the rules this one time.

"Where have you been, Em?"

Emerald sensed tiny knots forming in her stomach after hearing Ringo use her old nickname. She hadn't heard it in years. Hearing it now caused a small smile to trace her lips.

"I've been places. I'm actually one of the transfer students in Beacon for the Vytal Festival Tournament." Emerald watched Ringo's face brighten.

"Really? No way! I'm a student there! I didn't know you left Vale. You should've taken me with you," He joked.

Emerald shivered under his touch, feeling his fingers touch her bare skin.

"You should totally stop by my dorm so we can catch up. It'll be awesome to know what you've been doing since I left."

"If it's alright. Can we go catch up now?" Emerald asked. Seeing the look of hesitation on his face, Emerald rubbed her body against him. "Please? As one friend to another."

During her time as a thief, Emerald learned how to get someone to do her bidding. That made it easier to steal from them in the long run.

"I'm in the middle of something important. I really do have to help my team." Ringo smiled apologetically. "Sorry Em. While I'm extremely happy that I'm meeting you again, my team needs me right now. I hope you understand."

Emerald forced a smile, despite of her bitterness towards his so called team. "I understand. I'm just glad I got to see you again too."

"I do feel bad that I'm sending you off after you saved my butt." A light bulb appeared above Ringo's head. "I know. I'll give you the location of my dorm so you can pop by when you want to. I'll even give you the scan code so you can let yourself in whenever you want to."

"You're giving me the scan code to your dorm? Why? Wouldn't your teammates be against that?" Emerald knew that the special scan codes on their scrolls opened up the door of a dorm. Security was tight. Now Ringo was willingly giving it to her without hesitation.

Ringo patted her shoulder. "Maybe, but I trust you with my life. Hehe… I know that's a bold statement but I really do trust you that much after everything you've done for me. Here, let me see your scroll."

Not finding any words to speak, Emerald silently handed him her scroll. She stared at him while he messed with her scroll, feeling warm inside.

 _'I am so sorry Ringo. This is going to be harder than it should be.'_ Emerald wished things could have been different. She owed Cinder everything, but some guy she met five years ago was giving her thoughts of going behind Cinder's back. That's something she never thought would occur.

Hearing that he trusted her with his life made it all the more difficult for when the truth eventually breaks out. For now, she took it as a compliment. One that she was very grateful for.

"There." Ringo handed her back her scroll. "I implemented the scan code in your scroll. I also put my contact info in case you want to talk if I'm not available."

They shared one final hug, initiated by Ringo. At first, Emerald wanted to resist it, knowing not to get to attached to Ringo. If she did, her mindset will fully change.

 _'Oh, what the heck?'_ Emerald hugged him back, closing her eyes and savoring the moment. _'These teammates of his are going to become a problem.'_

Ringo's team was already on Emerald's bad side for taking him away from her.

"I'll see you later then, Em! Stay safe!" With that, Ringo sprinted forward, following the tracks that Bumblebee made.

Emerald watched him leave admiring him from afar.

* * *

Everyone has heard Blake and Sun's cry for backup. After a hefty battle against Roman and his Paladin robot, they were defeated by Team RWBY, Sun, and Neptune.

Yang did the honors of dealing the final blow, smashing the robot into a million pieces. Roman bounced off his robot Judy in time before it met its fate.

"Just got this thing cleaned…" Roman checked out the damage, counting in his head how much money it'd take to repair it.

Everyone took a minute to catch their breath. Before, Weiss was too absorbed in the fight to pay attention in her surroundings. However, now she noticed that they were one teammate short.

"Yang, where's Ringo?" Weiss asked in a sweet tone, forcing back her panic.

"He's right… there…" Yang's voice trailed off once she realized the heart of the matter. "Eh?! When did he run off!?"

Neptune shed some light in her question. "Back when we left Junior's bar, the sidecar broke loose when you were driving so fast! I tried telling you but you kept ignoring me!"

Yang sweated bullets. "Wait. So it's my fault Ringo is stranded at the shifty side of Vale?" She could feel Weiss and Blake's temper sky rocket.

"You lost him!?" Blake shouted. Yang stepped back, putting her hands out forward.

"H-hey! I'm sorry, okay? I just get so distracted when I drive Bumblebee." Yang's eyes widened as Blake visibly became more furious with her.

"Maybe you should stop caring about that damn motorcycle so much! We don't know where he is now!" Weiss cowered back some, flinching at the tone of Blake's voice.

"I-It's fine! I'll just call him. Relax!" Yang fumbled over getting her scroll out of her pockets.

"Haha! Oh, this is good!" Roman chuckled, fully knowing who they were talking about. Alas, the fun had to end. The young woman with the neapolitan hair caught up to Roman and landed in front if him, hanging her pink umbrella over her shoulder.

"Always a pleasure! Neo, if you would…" Roman allowed her to get in on the action. He blinked. Blake and Yang weren't even focusing on him anymore and their rotten teammates tried to break the fight between them. "Hmm… doesn't seem like we need your ability after all."

Roman and Neo quietly boarded the Bullhead coming as their method of escape. The Bullhead flew up in the air. A crackle of lightning struck the machine, causing the Bullhead to catch on fire and plummet to the ground.

"Woah! Did I do that!?" Ringo had a question mark appear beside his head. He spotted the Bullhead about to make an escape, so he instinctively put his hand out forward to it, hoping for some electricity to damage it. What he got instead was an actual lightning bolt crashing down at the Bullhead from the sky.

"Dammit!" Roman safely exited the Bullhead and landed on the ground before it crashed. Neo hopped out of the Bullhead and opened up her umbrella, now falling gracefully.

"Oh hey! It's you! I never got to thank you for before!" Ringo said to Neo as her feet touched the ground.

"What are you thanking her for!? What is he thanking you for!?" Roman roared at Neo's face. Neo's face remained neutral while he was yelling at her.

"I'm thanking her for the bringing you here so I can kick your ass!" Ringo charged forward, staff at hand, ready to engage in combat with Roman.

Neo guarded Roman, threatening his attack with her umbrella. Ringo stopped dead in his tracks.

"Seriously? I was hoping you'd be on my side again." Ringo didn't like the chances of him winning a two on one situation. "Where the hell is my team anyway?"

"They think you're dead, which you will be soon." Roman pointed behind Ringo. He turned around. True to Roman's words, everyone was there in a huge argument. When he turned back around, Roman was gone.

"Aw! So unfair!" Ringo whined because he was tricked. Neo still stood there with a wry grin on her face. "I don't suppose you'll fight me one on one." Neo shook her head. "That's what I thought. Ugh… well thanks anyway. I may not be here if it weren't for you… Neapolitan… no it's Neo. Yes, now I remember your name."

Neo waved her umbrella at him before walking off into the shadows.

Returning back to the situation at hand, Ringo raced over to the arguing teammates.

"Why are you all arguing?! The bad guys got away!" Ringo yelled, louder than all of them combined in order to get their attention.

Yang sighed in relief. "Phew. See? He can take care of himself. Stop being a baby about it, Blake." Blake blatantly ignored Yang and rushed over to Ringo.

"I let Roman get away, didn't I?" Blake knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from Ringo.

"Yep."

"Yang left you behind, didn't she?"

"Yep."

"I hate you for worrying me like that."

"Um… I can handle myself just fine… kinda. I hope you still love me." Ringo placed his hand behind his head, grinning dryly.

"Let's just go back. I already hate myself for getting distracted like that." Blake partially blamed herself for letting Roman get away. The rest of the blame went towards Yang.

"I didn't even get to help. I guess I can tell you everything I know on the way back." Ringo sighed, disappointed that he didn't lend a hand during the search for Roman. He did feel a little better, knowing that his friend Emerald was at Beacon as a foreign student.

"Sure." Blake softly clung onto his arm, letting him lead her back to Beacon.

"So those two really are in that type of relationship with each other." Yang suppressed the urge to facepalm, now that she had to step it up.

"I guess the _'cat'_ is out of the bag now." Weiss cracked a pun while also confirming their relationship.

Ruby giggled at the joke, though not understanding the hidden meaning behind her joke.

"No. Just… no." Yang disapproved of Weiss' witty pun.

Weiss frowned. "What?! But, you do it!" She got mad because this was her first time attempting to make a pun, yet it was shutdown by the pun-maker herself.

"No, it just wasn't very good." Yang began following the direction where Blake and Ringo left off at.

"Well, at least I'm trying!" Weiss snapped.

* * *

Emerald returned to her own dorm. She secretly hid all the contents that Ringo provided her in a hidden tab. She quietly opened the door, believing that Cinder and Mercury were asleep.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

"Where have you been?" Cinder was waiting for her at the door. Mercury casually laid on his bed, tuning into the conversation.

"Oh, you know. I left Beacon to run some errands," Emerald told half the truth.

"Do you have anything you want to share with me, Emerald? It'd be a shame if something were to happen to that boy earlier than planned." Cinder innocently checked her nails, already aware of where Emerald ran off to, thanks to Mercury.

Emerald had a choice. She could either lie to Cinder or tell her the truth. Obviously, there was only one option she could pick.

"I do have something to report." Emerald forced back the lump in her throat. "I… I followed the target. I got his scan code for his dorm and his number. I used our past friendship to trick him to give this to me."

Cinder looked impressed with Emerald. Mercury got off his bed, not believing this for a second.

"No way you found him before me." To prove it to him, Emerald handed him her scroll, discreetly changing her notes back to public. Mercury read over the information before throwing the scroll back to Emerald.

"Good job, Emerald. I knew I hired the right girl the day I laid my eyes on you." In other words, Cinder was glad that she snatched someone who had a past friendly relationship with the current target. "Keep doing what you're doing. Pretend to keep being his friend. I trust you know what you're doing. In the end, it'll hurt him more than you can dream of."

"Yes ma'am!" Emerald nodded.

"Good. Good." Cinder smacked the back of Mercury's head. "Pick up the slack! Emerald is more of a valuable asset but you should still be doing your fair share of work."

Mercury furrowed his eyebrows. "It's not my fault that the target isn't someone I fucking loved back in the day!" This earned him a punch to the stomach, courtesy of Emerald.

"I never loved that moron. I used him for my personal gain. Now I'm here with my superior, Cinder. The only bad thing out of it is that you're here too," Emerald said coldly.

"It's lovely to know you don't hold any feelings for that boy. You really don't care for him anymore." Cinder laughed darkly. "That's perfect. I'll call that stupid bull now. He'd want to hear this for sure." She confiscated Emerald's scroll and stored it in her personal desk.

 _'N-no…'_ Emerald masked her sadness like a pro. She glared at Mercury behind his back, suspecting that he was the one to inform Cinder of her departure.

Emerald listened in the conversation. It was tame for the most part until Cinder's evil smile stretched wider than it has ever had.

"You'll be here in a month to collect your precious experiment? Excellent. I expect your full loyalty in return." Cinder hung up soon after that.

Adam Taurus will be visiting Beacon Academy a month from now.

* * *

 **Second Author's Note: So the next chapter will feature the Extracurricular episode. Adam will be making an earlier appearance than in the show. That's pretty much all I have to say so stay tuned.**


	16. Extracurricular

**Author's Note:**

 **...Jaune's new hair.**

* * *

The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur to Ringo. He expected Emerald to show up at some point, but he hadn't seen her face at all. It was to the point that he began to question whether the encounter was real.

For some reason, Blake grew distant around Yang specifically. Whenever he tried to confront Blake about it, she simply stated that she had no time for inconsiderate people.

Yang, for the most part, tried to get Blake to talk to her. When she realized that she wouldn't get to her this way, she tried a different method.

This all led to this morning.

"We're going to be late. Get up already!" Weiss barked, already in her school uniform. Yang and Ruby seemed ready to leave too.

"No. I wanna take the day off today." Ringo hugged his sleeping companion Blake closer, smiling broadly. Honestly, he became exhausted as of late.

He finally managed to free everyone from the never-ending nightmare. Now all he had to do was wait for a few days before they all rounded up at the specified time and location. To pat himself on the back, he decided to take today off.

 _'Missing a day of class shouldn't work. I got Weiss to recap the lesson for me anyway.'_ The price of having a studious girlfriend paid off for Ringo in the long run. Now he could relax with his other girlfriend.

"At least give us Blake. I don't know what you did to her but she's clearly not herself." Weiss eyed Blake suspiciously. She could hear her purring from where she stood.

"Yeah! Blake wouldn't miss classes!" Ruby chimed in, worried for Blake's education.

"No. Mine~" Ringo refused to release Blake. Weiss looked at the time and let out an exasperated sigh.

"We don't have time for this! We have to go now!" Weiss stormed out of the dorm, clearly unhappy. Possibly staying that way for the remainder of the day. Yang and Ruby were forced to follow too so they wouldn't be late to class.

Once the coast was clear, Ringo detached himself from Blake.

"Okay, they left. What do you want?" He got straight to the point. It wasn't his idea to miss class today. Blake requested that he'd pretend to take her hostage so that they'd both miss class.

"It's just for one class." Blake sat up, stretching in a feline manner. "I want to talk to you about Roman."

Ringo blinked. "Seriously? You're still on that? Don't you ever want to take a break or something?" Blake's eyes sharpened. "U-uh… well, I guess I can tell you. I don't see why this couldn't be done with the others around, or later in fact."

He didn't see the point of not telling his story with the others not around. Especially Weiss. She'd throw a fit because he didn't tell her and told Blake. Plus, repeating the story over and over can get quite troublesome.

Blake shook her head. "No. We have to be alone."

"But why do we have to-" Blake pulled him closer, hugging his back. "Oh… you could've just asked to spend time with me ya know."

"True. But Weiss would refute it," Blake replied. She rarely got any alone time with Ringo. Weiss was usually with him for most of the day. Ruby and Yang mess around with him when Weiss wasn't there. Blake had no intention of joining their dumb fun.

"Weiss can be a bit clingy, but that just means she cares." Ringo smiled. "Anyway, I might as well explain my relationship with Roman first."

"I'm all ears." Ringo couldn't decipher if that was a cat joke or not but he went on anyway.

"I think I've already told you most of the story. After I left Léry's Memorial Institute, I wandered around Vale for a while. If you can't already tell, I smuggled a lot of things. You've already seen most of it back in my treehouse."

"That stupid treehouse caused nothing but trouble," Blake muttered, recalling all the awful memories connected to his treehouse. There sure as hell were more bad ones than good.

"Anyway, I met Roman along the way, back when his following was small. He caught me in the middle of one of my many escapes. He said he's been watching me for a while and was impressed with my skills." Ringo smiled weakly, reminiscing that time of his life. "With my semblance and all, I was a very fragile person with no real path. I'd bet all my money that Roman fully knew that. He offered me a chance to find a new purpose in life. Who was I to refuse?"

Blake couldn't help but empathize with him. After she left the White Fang, she didn't know what was in store for her next. She was lost until Professor Ozpin granted her the opportunity to attend Beacon. Unlike Ringo, her mind wasn't as fragile as his. She could understand why he accepted Roman's offer without hesitation.

"I joined Roman and worked with him for over a year. I dunno why but he trusted me enough to make me his third-hand man. I knew a lot of things about Roman, I'm sure he kept some of his more deeper secrets to himself. I don't blame him really, I did the same thing," Ringo chuckled dryly.

He scratched his face cheekily. "The second in command, I remember her name. She's called Neopolitan, or Neo for short. I think she's mute. I wouldn't consider us friends but she and I got along well during heists."

"Anyway, you wanted to know more about Roman so fire your questions away. I'll answer what I know." He got straight to the point after giving her some backstory.

Blake knew what her first question was.

"Why is the White Fang working for that scum?"

"Ah yes, the reason I decided to leave." Ringo clasped his hands together, glancing to the side. "Back in the day, one of my requests, after I joined him, was that I don't work with faunus' and he shared my view. When I heard that he made an alliance with some other group, I didn't really care. As long as I had a roof over my head and enough money to provide myself, he could do whatever he pleased."

Blake still couldn't get over the fact that Ringo used to despise the faunus race. Deep down, she had the urge to slap him, but she knew he was a changed man so she forced those urges under control.

"Then that bastard told me the group we were aligning ourselves with wanted the White Fang on their side."

Ringo never did find out the members of the alliance, despite being close to Roman. At the time, after hearing his intentions, he refused to be a part of any conversation with the mystery group. He was planning his escape by then.

"He accepted to be a part of their alliance simply because we'll be unstoppable as a whole unit. I have no idea who the group we were working with are so don't ask," Ringo said. He let out a dry chuckle. "I doubt Adam accepted the proposal in the beginning. He hates humans. I wonder what persuaded him to join."

Adam was the type of person who only did things if there was something in it for him. There were many possibilities. He could've done it for the money, dust, or even for more power.

"Back during our late-night fight, I encountered Roman and Neo. I wasn't going to fight them two to one, that's basically asking to be defeated. I'm confident in my abilities, but not in an unfair situation."

Guilt overcame Blake. If she hadn't been so worked about Yang losing Ringo then Roman wouldn't have escaped. She let her emotions get the best of her.

"Roman and Neo are like two peas in a pod. Take Neo out and you'll have a small opening to catch Roman off guard." Ringo told her.

A thinking bubble appeared beside him with 2-D chibi versions of Roman and Neo. The version of Neo fell down with a pair of swirls where her eyes should be. Roman is seen gasping in shock.

"How strong is this Neo character?" Blake asked.

"Eh…" Ringo paused, attempting to remember his former comrade. "She was stronger than me the last time we saw each other. We've both gotten stronger since then. I'd say…" He paused again, contemplating a reasonable response.

"She's probably still stronger than me!" He chirped, eliciting a sweatdrop from Blake.

"She has this really neat semblance I dubbed as Illusions. She can create physical illusions that everyone can see! It's so cool watching them shatter once they get hit!" Ringo's eyes had stars in them as he talked about Neo's semblance.

Blake suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"She can also change her appearance too! Neo could be anywhere. And she so fast that she can make it seem like she's teleporting!"

During Ringo's run with Roman, he quickly discovered that Neo wasn't one to mess with. When she never spoke to him, the idiot part of him thought it'd be a great idea to force her to say something.

Long story short, she quickly put him out of commission for the day.

"Isn't it neat that all the people I met in the past, we have similar semblances! Emerald and her hallucinations, Neo and her illusions, you and your shadow clones. We can all alter what people see!"

Blake rolled along with it, glad to see Ringo be this happy about a coincidence. A weird one to be exact.

Ringo's excitement toned down a notch.

"Was that all you wanted to know? To sum it all up, Roman doesn't like faunus' just as much as I used to and he has an alliance with a mystery third party. They both are working with the White Fang." Ringo summarized, covering every major detail in his informative explanation.

Blake clenched her fists. "Yes. That's all the questions I have for now."

She learned what she needed to find out: why are the White Fang working with Roman. It made her sick to her stomach that Adam would even allow this to happen. To have their people under the command of a villain who didn't treat them as equals.

"Hey." Ringo placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll stop them. I don't care who the mystery third party is, we're taking them down just like we'll take down Roman and Adam!" He exclaimed passionately, a gleam shining brightly in his eye.

Blake was still a little upset, but Ringo's words of encouragement cheered her up slightly. If anyone can provide them with tips to defeat them, it'd be Ringo.

He knew Roman, Neo, and Adam. Hopefully, he knew just the right amount of strategies to throw them off.

"Now, we should get ready." Ringo approached his, Yang's, and Ruby's closet. It was agreed that he would share with the two due to there only being two closets. He chose to share with the least crowded one.

Weiss practically owned her and Blake's closet.

"Actually." Blake grabbed his arm. "I was thinking maybe we could-"

 **Knock! Knock!**

The knocking came from the door, cutting off what Blake was going to ask of him.

The two exchanged confused glances, wondering who it could be. Morning classes were certainly not over yet.

Then a clicking sound could be heard. The same sound whenever the door was unlocked using their scrolls.

Ringo pushed Blake behind him, guarding her from the incoming intruder.

"Hello? Anyone there?" A familiar voice asked, fully opening the door.

It was none other than Emerald Sustrai. She came in with her scroll in hand.

To Blake, she was an intruder that needed to be disposed of quickly. To Ringo, she was an unexpected but welcomed guest.

"Em!" Ringo rushed over to the startled mint green-haired girl and wrapped her in a bear hug.

Blake was flabbergasted by his actions.

 _'Why is he hugging the intruder?'_ A small pit of jealousy boiled within her, spotting the smile on Ringo's face.

"What are you doing here?!" Emerald gasped, shocked to see him and Blake in the dorm. She dropped her scroll in the midst of it.

Blake capitalized on the opening and snatched the scroll in a flash before returning back to her original spot.

The scroll was still on. Blake looked at the screen and saw the scan code specifically for their dorm.

"How does she have our dorm's scan code?" Blake questioned.

Emerald pushed herself off of Ringo and peered behind him, seeing Blake with her scroll.

"Hey! That's not yours!" Emerald hissed.

"Ringo, who is this person and why does she have access to our dorm?" Blake demanded, equally upset. She could've very well snuck into their dorm and done something if they weren't already here.

Sensing the tension between the two, Ringo got in the middle of the two.

"Easy there you two. Blake, this is the person I've always been talking about! This is Emerald Sustrai! My old friend!" Ringo introduced her, resuming coddling his old friend.

"Emerald?" Blake stared at the annoyed newcomer in disbelief. Emerald… the Emerald Sustrai. The person who befriended her boyfriend right after fleeing from Vacuo.

 _'This doesn't make any sense.'_ Blake couldn't wrap her head around it. Ringo told her Emerald requested that he leave Léry's Memorial Institute. What was she doing here?

The hidden faunus examined Emerald's uniform. She concluded it to be from Haven Academy and she must have been one of the transfer students. From Mistral.

 _'Why didn't she just go to Beacon like Ringo?'_ Several theories circulated her mind. She didn't expect Ringo to question her arrival, seeing how he treated her.

"Not to be rude Em, but what are you doing here? You could've called you know." Ringo playfully punched her arm.

Emerald's eyes shifted back and forth from her scroll to Ringo. She appeared to be fidgeting.

"You see…"

"Bah! That doesn't matter. I still can't believe you're really here!" Ringo grabbed onto her shoulders, grinning ear to ear.

"Ringo…" Emerald found herself smiling. His happiness caught on to her.

Ringo turned around to face Blake. "Hand Em back her scroll. I think we can still catch the next class on time." He turned back to Emerald. "That's Blake Belladonna. She's my girlfriend."

The sound of glass shattering played in Emerald's head. Her eyes turned into dots.

"Girlfriend?"

The atmosphere in the dorm thickened between the two girls, Ringo being all too oblivious of the growing tension. Emerald shot Blake a death glare, to which she responded with a suspicious stare of her own.

"Blake." Ringo's brow furrowed. She has yet to return Emerald's scroll. He took the initiative and grabbed hold of the scroll in Blake's grasp.

However, she refused to let go.

"Blake? This isn't yours." Ringo tugged on the scroll, much to no avail.

"Why can she come here freely? Ringo, are you stupid? Only our team should have access to our dorm," Blake said sternly. She disapproved of having Emerald in here, even if she was Ringo's friend.

"Psh. Come on, Blake. This is Em. I trust her with my life. She's isn't a threat at all. Trust me on this. Em is as sweet as she was back when I first met her."

Emerald felt a huge weight of guilt pile up on her already heavy shoulders. She wasn't aware that he missed her this much. All the compliments directed to her were a reminder that she should enjoy it while she can.

After next week, he might not even be here anymore.

Truth is, she decided to skip class to have a look around Ringo's dorm. She got her scroll back from Cinder when she convinced her that she needed it to blend in as a transfer student.

What she didn't expect was to actually find Ringo in his dorm along with Blake. She chose this time because she thought everyone would be in class. That wasn't the case.

Had Emerald been successful in infiltrating the dorm room without any interference, Ringo would've gotten a discreet heads up of what's to come, or even a warning to watch his back.

Blake and Ringo stared at each other for what felt like minutes. Eventually, Blake rolled her eyes and let go of the scroll.

"Thanks, Blakey!" Ringo handed Emerald back her scroll and grabbed his uniform from his closet. "What class do you have next Em?"

"Someone called… Professor Goodwitch." Emerald read her schedule from her scroll.

Ringo's eyes lit up. "That's our next class! We can go there together. I'll go take a quick shower and we can all go." He hurried inside the bathroom, thrilled at the luck he was having.

Once he was out of sight, Emerald and Blake resumed their tense staredown.

"Who are you really?" Blake asked coldly. Emerald gave off a bad first impression that rubbed Blake the wrong way.

"You look tired. Haven't caught any shut-eye, huh?" Emerald swiftly dodged her question, and instead noticed the bags under her eyes.

"Answer my question." Blake didn't deny the fact that she was tired. She hadn't slept much last night. This has been a regular occurrence for a while now. "Ringo may be blinded because of your return, but I'm not. I got my eye on you."

She made her intentions clear. Even if she wasn't at one hundred percent, Blake still kept her priorities intact. Those being researching more about the White Fang and keeping Ringo out of harm's way.

When she really thought about it, Emerald's arrival was only more suspicious thanks to Ringo's paranoia a few weeks ago.

 _'Don't trust any newcomers.'_ Blake recited his exact words. Emerald fits the description perfectly.

Her past with Ringo didn't matter. She already learned first-hand that the person you trusted for so long can turn out to be someone evil.

"I'm sure Ringo has already told you plenty about me. What more do you need to know?" Emerald inquired smoothly.

"Why did you break in-"

"I didn't break-in. He gave me the scan code."

"Why did you break in our dorm?" Blake flat out ignored her excuse. She firmly repeated her words with more venom in them.

Emerald rolled her eyes. "What? I can't see anyone?"

"Not when they're not supposed to be here."

"Yeah, well-"

The door of the bathroom opened and out came Ringo in his uniform. Emerald raised an eyebrow, seeing him not even wear his uniform properly.

"We have to get going you two. The bell's about to ring!" Ringo made his way out of the dorm in a hurry as the bell rang.

Emerald and Blake shared one last glare before following after him.

* * *

The trio arrived at the Amphitheater on time. Ringo and Blake found their teammates up on the stands. The two made their way towards them while Emerald met up with Mercury.

"We're here!" Ringo exclaimed, catching his team's attention. Just as he did though, he received a huge slap in the face by an angry Weiss Schnee.

Ringo stumbled back. Blake was there to catch him before he fell.

"Nice going doctor! Now we all have detention because we tried covering for you and Blake!" Weiss screeched.

When Ruby, Weiss, and Blake came to Professor Port's class, they were immediately questioned where their other two teammates were.

They tried covering for them, but somehow Professor Port detected their lie and punished them all with a day in detention.

Weiss had never been punished in school for her entire life. Naturally, she wasn't pleased by this at all, so she decided to take it out on one of the people responsible.

She heavily doubted Blake would've let her get away with slapping her anyway.

"Relax Ice Queen. One detention isn't going to be the end of your life," Yang said. She's been in detention plenty of times and she's still as happy as a bee.

"I'm turning into a delinquent..." Ruby muttered.

Meanwhile, Emerald and Mercury were talking nearby.

"Any reason why you were with them? I thought you didn't care about him." Mercury smirked arrogantly. He had some leverage against her now.

Emerald folded her arms. "I'm just doing my job. Something that you haven't been doing since we got here." She retorted, much to Mercury's annoyance.

"Oh shut up." He rolled his eyes. He already heard enough about it from Cinder. "Our job involving the target is done thanks to you. There's no need to waste time on him anymore. He's as good as dead Sunday."

Mercury found it very suspicious that Emerald continued to keep an eye on Ringo. Adam was coming to Beacon this Sunday, the same day as the stupid dance that he's been hearing about.

He hadn't told Cinder yet about her suspicious behavior as he was willing to give Emerald the benefit of the doubt.

"I know," Emerald replied bitterly. "There's no harm in last-minute data is there?"

Mercury shrugged. "I guess not. It's been getting boring here anyway. The blond one looks cute." Mercury grinned, staring at Yang longer than the normal person would. "Don't be too jealous though, Emerald."

"As if." Emerald and Mercury began to make their way to where Team RRWBY were sitting.

"That wasn't necessary Snow Angel," Ringo whimpered, rubbing the red handprint on his left cheek.

"Believe me, it was," Weiss huffed. She was scared that Professor Port wouldn't have let them attend the dance in two days. Luckily, their detention fell on a Tuesday.

The team sat down, waiting for Professor Goodwitch to arrive. Blake took out her book and read in her tired state.

"By the way, what were you two doing?" Yang winked at them suggestively. She believed something on the intimate side occurred.

"Blake wanted to know more about the enemy, I I told her everything I knew." Ringo ignored what Yang was trying to go for.

"That's boring. Can't you give it a rest Blake?" Yang asked her teammate. Blake disregarded Yang's question and kept on reading. This caused a frown to form on Yang's face.

It was no secret to Ringo, Ruby, and Weiss that Blake and Yang weren't on good terms anymore. They had to live with the constant tension between the two for the past few weeks.

Ringo felt like he was the cause of all this. He should've done a better job calling for Yang's attention. The whole reason Blake was giving her the cold shoulder was because Yang lost him.

His sadness vanished once he spotted Emerald and some guy come their way. He beamed and waved his hand at them.

"Em! Come sit with us!"

Mercury snorted, "Em?" He was met with an elbow to the side courtesy of Emerald.

"Woah. How many chick friends do you have you sly dog!" Yang exclaimed, eyeing the potential new competition. It seemed like Ringo very rarely has any guy friends to hang with.

Emerald brushed off the odd comment and sat behind the Team RRWBY, with Mercury sitting right next to her.

"Huh?" Ringo winced at the icy glare he was receiving by Weiss. "This is Emerald. Haven't I told you about her?"

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang wore confused faces.

Ringo sweatdropped, preparing for the onslaught of words coming his way.

"How come Blake doesn't look confused… wait a minute! Did you tell her but not us again?!" Weiss exploded in a fit of rage. Ringo, yet again, failed to inform the team of his personal life, except when it came to Blake.

Weiss wouldn't be shocked if she knew more about Ringo than her. That's what upsets her. Ringo and Blake have a better bond. That much was clear now.

Weiss dealt with it as she did with any other issue.

Ringo sighed sadly, being forced to listen to another one of Weiss' rants. Yang patted his shoulder, pitying him.

"Girlfriend troubles," Mercury chuckled. "That's the last thing I expected from him. From a Schnee no less!"

Emerald was quick to correct him. "That tired-looking girl is his girlfriend." She couldn't possibly picture Ringo and a Schnee together.

"Actually." Ruby turned around. "They're both his girlfriend… I think? I still don't quite understand it…" Several question marks sprouted beside her head. She still hasn't figured out what the deal was between them.

Mercury's jaw dropped, "That guy has his own har-" Emerald clamped her hand over his mouth, preventing him from causing a scene.

Professor Goodwitch came in, silencing the amphitheater including Weiss.

The class followed as usual. Goodwitch asked for volunteers and paired them up with whoever the system picked.

Yang was the sole member of Team RRWBY to have been chosen so far. She made quick work with her opponent, once again proving that she was a formidable foe.

"Another day, another victory. Am I right?" Yang boasted when she regrouped with her team.

"Damn straight!" Ringo high-fived his blond teammate. One thing they had in common was their thirst for victory. That and they loved showboating their skills.

"I really don't like your arrogance doctor. You're going to learn to tone it down one way or another." Weiss was all in for a little confidence, but too much of it she disapproved of.

She suspected his confidence has something to do with his undefeated record. At least Pyrrha wasn't as egotistical as he was with her undefeated record.

Speaking of Pyrrha, she was called up next to spar.

"Since you've done a remarkable job over the recent weeks, I'll allow you to pick your opponent." Goodwitch generously gave Pyrrha the opportunity to pick her foe. The redhead had beaten most of the students in the class anyway.

Plus, she was the top of the class in the professor's eyes.

Pyrrha's face lit up in determination. She cast her sights over where Team RRWBY sat, specifically at Ringo.

Ringo noticed her eyes on him and sent a challenging stare of his own. The animosity between the two spiked.

The students' excitement peaked. This would be the first time Pyrrha and Ringo faced off. It was essentially Streak vs. Streak. Whoever wins will sit with their clean record intact while the loser hangs their head in shame.

Ringo stood up, as did Pyrrha.

"Hold on!" Stopping the highly anticipated showdown was none other than Cardin and his team. "We challenge you, invincible girl!"

Team CRDL lined up, puffing their chests in a prideful manner.

Pyrrha blinked. "All four of you?" Truthfully, she wasn't unfamiliar with unfair matchups.

 _'A four-on-one though… that's a first.'_ Pyrrha thought, eyeing the team with surprise.

"Hey! We were going to duel!" The sole male member of Team RRWBY yelled.

"Shut it freak!" Cardin snapped, fixating his eyes on Pyrrha. "You think you're so much better than all of us. Well, how about it Miss Invincible Girl. Team CRDL against you." He folded his arms, grinning madly.

"Is the reason you're not asking Ringo this because you got handled by him in a quick fashion," Pyrrha responded with some trash talk of her own. She was really looking forward to finally getting her shot to fight Ringo.

"...?!" Cardin's face steamed red. A chorus of laughter circled the amphitheater.

Pyrrha smiled lightly. "I accept your challenge." She accepted it, believing this would be the final obstacle in her team's path when it came to Team CRDL.

Though, knowing Cardin, this wouldn't stop him from harassing their team for long.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune was quick to protest. "I know you're crazy strong but there's four of them!"

Pyrrha giggled softly, understanding his worries. She gazed over at Nora and Ren. They shared similar feelings as Jaune.

"Don't worry guys. There's never a challenge I can't conquer," Pyrrha reassured her teammates. "Professor Goodwitch, I wish to fight Team CRDL. I hope that's quite alright."

Her duel with Ringo would have to wait another day. Cardin needed to be dealt with.

"I trust you know what you're getting into." Goodwitch tapped away on her scroll.

An image of Pyrrha appeared on one of the banners. The other banner consisted of Team CRDL, their pictures being stacked in a column.

"Haha! This is going to be fun!" Cardin and his team made their way to the locker room to get suited up.

"Are you sure about this Pyrrha?" Jaune asked her once more, worried for his teammate. Team CRDL weren't pushovers. They'll no doubt try some underhanded tactics when the opportunity arises.

"Jaune." Pyrrha smiled, appreciating Jaune looking out for her. "Trust me. I'll be fine." She departed from her team, heading to the locker room as well.

Ringo's shoulders slumped, disappointed in the outcome.

"Stupid Cardin! I was starting to get excited." Ringo clicked his tongue. Facing Pyrrha and beating her would cement his reign. He'd be the strongest one in his year… again.

Emerald and Mercury didn't quite understand the hostility between Ringo and Pyrrha.

"Uh, Ringo? What was that all about?" Emerald asked her old friend.

Ringo eyed Pyrrha like a hawk while she went to the locker room. Once she was out of sight, Ringo grumpily sat back down.

"We're unofficial rivals of sorts. Believe me, she's the one that started the rivalry only because I beat her teammate fair and square," Ringo scoffed, wondering why Pyrrha was continuing to be childish over her teammate's loss.

Hell, Nora seemed to have gotten over it. Ringo couldn't recall exactly what he did to get on Pyrrha's bad side. At one point, he considered her a friend.

There must have been another motive. She couldn't possibly still hold a grudge over his match against Nora.

"Everyone else seems disappointed too." Mercury took note of Ringo and most of the other students' disappointment when Team CRDL was chosen to be Pyrrha's opponents.

"Ah, that's not a big deal really. I guess people just want to see who the strongest student is. We've both have been undefeated since school began." Ringo grinned. "I've gotten stronger since you last saw me Em! I can control my semblance now… well, mostly."

Emerald wasn't shocked the slightest. She used to train with him all those years ago. Thanks to him, her mental barriers were strengthened. She could use her semblance without as many limitations as before.

"Pfft. You?" Mercury had a skeptical look on his face. "You don't look like all that."

"Want me to demonstrate? I have no problem requesting a match against you after Pyrrha kicks Team CRDL's asses," Ringo challenged.

One of the perks that came along with the arrival of the transfer students is that it also comes with new competition. There were only a handful of students left that he had yet to face.

Mercury appeared to be Emerald's friend. Ringo was quite curious about what he had to offer.

"I'm good." Shocking Emerald, Mercury declined the challenge. "I believe there's already someone here that wants that opportunity, right Emerald?"

 _'...Dammit.'_ Emerald refrained from glaring at her partner so her cover wouldn't be blown. She was hoping Mercury would forget about the agreement.

Agreeing in front of Cinder and Mercury to challenge Ringo when the opportunity presented itself was coming back to haunt her.

"I'm so down to fight you Emerald! It's been years since we last sparred! I'll show you just how strong I've gotten." He grinned, determined to show Emerald the new Ringo.

Emerald was the only person to see him at his weakest. Back then, he was a broken, traumatized boy who had no control over his newfound semblance. Over the years, he managed to control his semblance enough to effectively use it in combat and better maintaining his sanity.

He wanted to show Emerald that he wasn't the same unstable person. He's grown as a competitor and a person.

"Sure! We can go next," Emerald agreed, masking her sorrow with a smile.

If she had to be completely honest, their battle wouldn't even last one minute… in her favor.

During all their training sessions, Emerald always came out on top in quick fashion. She discovered his Achilles heel: his mind. It wasn't her intention to use this method every time, but Ringo insists. He didn't want her holding back one bit.

Ringo nodded and focused on the fight set to happen any minute now. With Blake out of commission, Weiss took the seat next to him. She sent a worrying look towards Blake, who appeared to be barely awake. The faunus dug her nose deep in her book.

"She'll be fine. I forced her to get some sleep last night," Ringo assured the heiress, grabbing her hand and lightly squeezing it.

She returned the action reluctantly and switched her attention to Pyrrha and Team CRDL standing at opposite sides of the arena.

"Go, Nikos! Kick their asses!" Ringo cheered, popping a wild party pooper in the air. Weiss let go of his hand and hid her face from the bewildered spectators.

Ruby's eyes sparkled as she watched the colorful confetti descend from the air.

"If any of those get in my hair… you're finished!" Yang's eyes glowed red for a brief second.

Ringo frantically gathered up all the pieces of confetti from the air, much to Ruby's disappointment.

Pyrrha's and Team CRDL's match began.

Emerald focused on the match for a while until she noticed Mercury's intent stare on the redhead. She knew those eyes. He was intrigued.

She couldn't blame him. Pyrrha's combat abilities were a sight to behold. Pyrrha carried herself with grace while she was single-handedly starting to take down Team CRDL.

"This one is… different." Emerald heard Mercury mutter.

In the end, Pyrrha knocked down the final standing member of Team CRDL. As expected, she overcame the odds and won the match.

Professor Goodwitch appeared behind an exhausted Cardin. The blonde leader of Team CRDL clutched his ribs.

"And that's the match," The professor announced.

Cardin groaned, "Lucky… shot." He collapsed, joining his teammates on the floor.

Pyrrha smiled, satisfied with her win. She looked over to where her team sat. Nora and Jaune cheered and waved. Ren clapped his hands politely.

"Well done, Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament," Professor Goodwitch said, boosting Pyrrha's confidence.

"Thank you, professor."

Professor Goodwitch tapped on her scroll. "Alright, I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?" She blatantly ignored Ringo's hand and eyed his drowsy teammate. "Miss Belladonna?"

Blake's eyes widened and she slammed her book shut.

"You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-"

Mercury recognized Ringo wouldn't be getting his sparring match and raised his own hand instead.

"I'll do it."

"Aw. Dammit." Ringo lowered back down to his seat. "Sorry, Em. I guess I should've told you the professor sorta doesn't like me." He smiled sheepishly.

Emerald released a breath of relief that she didn't know she was holding.

"Mercury is it? Very well, let's find you an opponent." Glynda was about to set up a sparring match for Mercury with her scroll, but the transfer student had other plans.

"Actually." He stood up. "I want to fight… her."

His finger was pointing at the one and only, Pyrrha Nikos.

"Me?"

The professor intervened. "I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished a match, I recommend you choose another partner."

Pyrrha snapped out of her daze and smiled. "No, it's fine! I'd be happy to oblige."

"Great," Mercury smirked. He left the spectator stands and ventured off to the arena.

Ringo shifted closer to his faunus teammate and nudged her shoulder. "Hey. You should've just told me you wanted to sleep in more. I have no issue skipping this class too."

Sure Professor Goodwitch's rant about him skipping class would've sucked, but Blake's mental health was more important.

"I'm fine," Blake insisted, going back to reading her book.

Ringo knew she was growing obsessed over the White Fang. That much was obvious. Countless nights he woke up and found her looking at her scroll.

He decided to take initiative and snatched the book from her hands. The book was placed on the ground.

"Blake." Ignoring her glare, he grabbed both of her hands. "Being obsessed with the White Fang isn't good for you. Trust me, I know from personal experience. Please… please just get some sleep."

He let go of her hands and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

Blake did her best to suppress the urge to sleep. Her eyes dropped, but then quickly shot open. This went on for a while until she submits to the comforting warmth and fell asleep on his shoulder.

Feeling her body slowly rise up and down, Ringo frowned somberly.

Blake's obsession reminded him of his own. He spent a good majority of his teenage years obsessed with the White Fang, but for different reasons. He didn't go a day without thinking about how they could pop out at any moment and finish the job. His paranoia stemmed from there.

He rarely got a wink of sleep for several months, fearing that the White Fang would ambush him in his sleep.

Ringo kissed the top of her head.

 _'Please don't end up like me.'_

He paid little attention to the match between Mercury and Pyrrha. His eyes were glued onto his sleeping girlfriend.

"I forfeit." Ringo heard Mercury say, causing his head to turn to the arena. What surprised him was both Pyrrha and Mercury appeared fine.

 _'Did they do a card battle or something? Why'd you quit all of a sudden?'_

Pyrrha stopped her charge as soon as he surrendered. "You don't even want to try?"

Mercury shrugged, "What's the point. You're a world-renowned fighter. We're obviously leagues apart," He explained.

Most of the class wasn't shocked to hear him give up.

"In that case, Pyrrha Nikos is the victor of the match… again."

The screen displayed showed Mercury's green aura bar turn red, indicating his loss.

Ringo missed the smirks exchanged by Mercury and Emerald.

 _'If he wasn't even going to try he should've let Em and I fight.'_ Ringo brushed off his disappointment. He gently shook Blake, waking her up.

"That is all for today. And remember, the dance is this weekend. But you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses." Professor Goodwitch dismissed the class.

 _'Missions…'_ Ringo's face paled. How could he have forgotten? He was no stranger to missions. Missions are what got his friends killed.

 _'Could this be what the voices were talking about…?'_

"Is class over?" Blake's drowsy voice brought him back to his senses.

"Yeah… class is over." Ringo quietly assisted Blake to her feet and led her to the exit. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang followed.

Emerald watched him leave, briefly wondering why he suddenly got quiet. Mercury made his way to his partner and smirked.

"Learning is so much fun."

* * *

Team RRWBY were walking back to their dorm. Ringo confiscated Blake's book for the remainder of the day, refusing to let her become more obsessed with the White Fang.

"Hey, Blake!" Blake mentally groaned, recognizing the voice that called out to her. She felt someone grab her shoulder from behind.

It was Sun. One look at her face brought concern.

"You, uh… doing okay?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm fine."

Sun took that as a good sign. With all his courage, he spoke, "So I hear there's this dance going on this weekend… ah, it sounds pretty lame, but you and me? I'm thinking, not as lame, huh?"

"What?" Blake's eyebrows knitted together, annoyed.

"Dance?" Ringo repeated, joining in on their conversation. "That's the second time I've heard of a dance. What's it about?"

"It's a dance that's gonna be held Sunday evening! Beacon and transfer students are welcomed to attend," Sun explained to him.

Ringo cast a dark glare on Sun. "Are you trying to ask **_'my girlfriend'_** to the dance?"

"Your g-girlfriend?!" Sun dropped to his knees, filled with an unhealthy amount of sadness. His worst fears have come true. Blake was taken.

In all honesty, he had a feeling that there was something more to those two. He let his hope blind him from seeking the truth.

Ringo's dark aura vanished in a hot second. "You can have a dance with Blakey I guess. She'll need someone to dance with her."

Sun's eyes widened. "W-what do you mean?"

"Yes. What do you mean?" Blake parroted, anger evident in her voice. She did not agree to dance with Sun at all.

"I'm not going to the dance. I already have plans and I don't want my Blakey standing by the punch bowl reading." Ringo gave the girl in question a noogie, but quickly regretted it when she clawed his arm.

"I don't have time for a stupid dance. Don't make arrangements without my consent." She pushed past Ringo and stormed to the dormitory building.

Ringo looked on, troubled with Blake's behavior. Before he could go after her, he strangely felt the area around him grow cold.

"What?!" Weiss shouted in a tone Ringo never heard her use. "You are going to the dance Ringo Yin. End. Of. Story."

Weiss was eagerly awaiting for the dance for weeks now. She, of course, planned to go with Ringo. She knew something was off when he hadn't bothered to ask her out to the dance, but she played it off as him assuming they were going together anyway.

When she heard Ringo say he already had other plans, a small part of her snapped. Weeks of building excitement to attend the dance went down the drain in an instant. She was not going to allow him to ruin this for her.

Ringo gulped. They were going to have their first real couple argument, in public no less.

"I'll just…" Sun sensed the impending danger lurking and scattered.

"Uh… Weiss. I'm not going to the dance. I've already told you about Sunday," Ringo said nervously.

"You better not be lying to me, Ringo Yin! This is the first time I'm hearing about this."

"Ice Queen?" Yang bravely stepped forward. "Ring boy has told us about Sunday, like ages ago," She chuckled awkwardly. "Heh. You'd think someone's own girlfriend would remember."

Weiss glared daggers at the blonde, causing her to hide behind Ruby.

The heiress turned her attention back to Ringo. "What's so important that you have to miss a dance?"

Ringo straightened up. A smile appeared on his face.

"I'm going to go meet up with some people… not too familiar with Vale. It's about time we officially meet. It might even be the key to fully control my semblance!"

"Ooh! Can I go?" Ruby asked. She had no problem attending the dance, but going on an adventure sounded more fun.

"Like I told you before Little Red, this is strictly my mission. You don't want to talk with a bunch of boring grown-ups, do you?"

"I guess not." Ruby backed down.

"Please, Weiss. You have to understand how important this is to me. If I had known the dance was Sunday, I would've rescheduled to another day. Sadly, I have no forms of communication with them so it's mandatory that I go Sunday." Ringo told the heiress, hoping she'll give him permission to go.

Weiss stared at him for what felt like the longest minute in his life.

She huffed and turned around with the click of her heels. Weiss stomped to the dormitory building, none too pleased at all.

"Shit…" Ringo rubbed his fingers across his temples. "Now both of them are pissed at me."

Just as he said that Yang went from standing beside Ruby to leaning against Ringo.

"I'm still here. Happy and available. Might I repeat myself, available~"

Ringo snickered at her attempt to flirt. He pushed her off of him gently.

"I'll keep that in mind, Yang. Anyway, I have to go prepare for my trip. I'm totally not trying to get away from Weiss' wrath!" Ringo laughed a little too loudly.

"Right…" Yang rolled her eyes in amusement. "We'll see you at dinner."

"Bye Ringo!"

Ruby, Yang, and Ringo left the area. None of them noticed a feminine figure who was eavesdropping on their whole conversation.

* * *

Ringo was heading to his dorm. He took a little more time than expected to prepare for his trip. He had to text Ruby that he was going to have to skip out on dinner and asked her to bring him a plate of whatever was served.

He hadn't expected to bump into someone on the way there.

"S-sorry! I didn't see you there!" Ringo apologized, helping the person to their feet.

"Oh. It's partly my fault. I was in a rush, I didn't process that running around a corner would be dangerous." The person Ringo bumped into was a girl dressed in Haven Academy school uniform.

Something was off.

The Haven student sent him an embarrassed smile. One of which gave him an uneasy feeling.

"Yeah… I don't mean to sound rude but how old are you?" The second thing that caught him off guard was her appearance. She did look young enough to pass off as a student, but there were definitely signs of a mature woman there.

"Where are my manners? I'm Cinder Fall, fourth-year student," Cinder introduced herself, blending in as a fourth year. This was the first time someone actually questioned her about her age.

"Fourth year, huh?" Ringo's skepticism remained, though he greeted her out of politeness. "I'm Ringo Yin, first year. Sorry but I really have to go-"

Just then, his scroll buzzed. Ringo pulled it out and saw that it was a message from Yang.

It read:

 _We need you to get Blake out of the library! xoxoxo_

 _'Another reason to get out of this mess.'_ Ringo looked up to tell Cinder that he had to go, but by then she was already gone.

"What the hell?" It was getting dark, so the chances of trying to find her were slim.

Ringo decided to ignore it for now. He very well could be overreacting.

 _'Still. I hope that's the last time I see her.'_

If this happened a year ago, he would've been on the verge of a panic attack. His team managed to soothe his nerves concerning the meaning behind the voices in his head a month ago.

He wasn't sure what he'd do without them. They've done so much for him. They put up with his behavior with no objection. It's only fair that he'll help Blake with her inner struggles.

Ringo arrived at the library shortly after the strange encounter with Cinder and found Blake reading a book.

"Blake. It's time to head back. I think you've been here longer than the librarian." Ringo advanced closer to the exhausted faunus. She ignored him. "Come on. Are you still mad at me?"

Blake clenched the edges of her book tighter. Her eyes narrowed on the words on the page.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ringo thought of an idea. "Tell you what, I'll stick around for ten minutes so you can have a dance with me! How does that sound?"

His compromise did nothing to sweeten Blake's mood. He originally believed him not going to the dance was one of the issues.

 _'I guess she just doesn't want to go at all, regardless of me going or not. She better not be planning on spending the whole weekend here.'_

"Everyone's worried y' know? If you won't do it for them then do it for me at least," He pleaded, presenting his best impression of puppy dog eyes.

Yet, he was shunned again.

"Blaaake~" Ringo sat in the seat next to her and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Don't you love these little moments we have together. Wouldn't you rather do this than worry about those silly White Fang people?"

"Stop it." She growled, finally speaking to him. Blake was beginning to have a hard time concentrating on her research because of Ringo.

"Fine, fine. Let me just peek at your reading." Ringo looped his arm around Blake's shoulder and scooted his chair directly next to hers. He resumed using her shoulder as a pillow and scanned the page she was reading.

After a few seconds of having Ringo on her shoulder, she shook him off and closed her book.

"Ringo, you're being a distraction. Quit it," Blake hissed sharply.

"Blake." Ringo dropped his playful attitude. "You seriously aren't planning on being here the whole weekend are you?"

"So what if I am?" Blake scowled.

"This nonsense is going to destroy you one day, Blake. The White Fang isn't going to magically appear here," He lied.

There was one time the White Fang infiltrated Beacon.

"You don't know that. It's already happened before!" Blake said, trouble lacing her voice. "I've talked to one of the second years here. The White Fang has indeed come here before and they killed someone! I need to be ready at all costs!"

Blake explored just about every inch of the library on information on the White Fang. A second-year student saw her with a stack of books on the organization and proceeded to give her some background information between Beacon and the White Fang.

Apparently, one of their members sneaked in and killed one of the students in cold blood. Beacon was on lockdown for two weeks and no widespread news was reported on this.

It was absurd that this wasn't known to the public. Such a crucial piece of information would have slipped under her nose had the second year not informed her.

Why Ringo hadn't told her this annoyed her. Especially during their talk this morning. He failed to mention the murder to her.

"Right… that incident…" Ringo's smiled died down in a flash. His head turned left and right, seeing if there was anyone nearby. "We aren't supposed to talk about that. Why someone actually did…"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, chuckling dryly.

"Since you already know, I might as well not keep it a secret. The person that was killed that night… it was Vinny, my former partner," Ringo revealed.

Blake's heart sank. Her breath hitched and the only thing she could do was stare at Ringo with wide eyes.

Ringo already told her his teammates were killed off. She should've connected the pieces together easily.

"Look. I don't see what this shit has to do with anything. We're going to bed." Blake could immediately tell she hit a nerve. Ringo rarely spoke with such animosity outside of battle.

"No." Even then, Blake wasn't going to succumb to his demand. Ringo wasn't the boss of her, boyfriend or not. The heart dropping revelation didn't stop her from acting hostile towards Ringo.

This was far more important. She was so close… she could feel it.

"Are you truly putting this pointless research over me? Face it, Blake. Adam is always one step ahead of us. You can't stop the inevitable!"

If there was one thing he learned from his countless encounters with Adam, it's that he was persistent. There's no strategy to confront Adam head-on. One will never gain the element of surprise on him.

To Ringo, Adam is far superior than he could ever imagine surpassing.

"That's it? You're going to give up just like that?" Blake scoffed. She thought Ringo at least shared the same mindset with her. Why was he willing to accept defeat?

They both shared similar backgrounds. Blake was focused on bringing them down while Ringo accepted that there was no chance of beating them.

"No. I'm not giving up," Ringo said, confusing the faunus. "I'm just saying we can't prevent the White Fang from attacking. You can't beat them on your own. You need allies, allies that you are pushing away with this unhealthy obsession."

The thought of facing Adam terrified him tremendously. Every encounter with him resulted in tragedy. Having his team with him didn't help ease his concerns from their eventual confrontation.

A feeling of doubt invoked him. If he and Team SLVR couldn't have done it, what chance did he have? Granted, they were ambushed, but the battle was one-sided.

"Instead of worrying over the White Fang every second of your life, take the time to enjoy life. You don't know when everything will crumble down in a snap… I learned the hard way."

Ringo gave her a wry smile, using all his will power not to break down in front of her.

"Let's call it a night, Blake." Ringo awaited her answer.

Blake glanced at him, and then at her book. She thought about it for about a minute. Her eyes were filled with determination.

"No. I'm staying here." Blake decided. Though, she had a newly added motivation. Not only was she going to track down the White Fang, but she'll also do it in Ringo's honor.

Blake gladly decided to do Ringo's hidden vengeance for him. Team SLVR will be avenged. If Ringo wouldn't do it then she would, as his romantic partner.

"Damn. I was really hoping to convince you with my true feelings." Ringo turned around and placed his hand behind his head. "I see where your priorities stand. I won't force you to leave… but I sure do hope you find what you're searching for."

He exited the library, not glancing back at Blake.

Blake watched him leave with mixed emotions.

 _'Was that… no. This is the best choice. It'll be all worth it in the end.'_ Blake reassured herself and continued reading away.

In a way, Ringo was right. Maybe she should've taken the time to enjoy life without worrying about the White Fang.

Little did Blake know, this would be the final time she ever saw Ringo like this.

* * *

"And finally, Pyrrha Nikos."

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury were hanging around their dorm. Cinder was sewing a black dress while Mercury read a comic book.

"Ah, the invincible girl," Cinder remarked.

"She's smart, but I wouldn't say invincible," Mercury said from behind his comic book.

"Do tell."

Emerald did the honors. "Her semblance is Polarity. But you'd never know just by watching."

Mercury tossed his comic book to the side and got up. "After she made contact with my boot, she was able to move them around however she wanted. She only made slight adjustments."

"Just enough to make it look like she's untouchable," Emerald added.

"Hmm... People assume that she's fated for victory when she's really taking fate into her own hands. Interesting. Add her to the list," Cinder ordered.

With their original target already done for, they needed to move on. Who better than the warrior, Pyrrha Nikos.

"You should be able to take her on no problem."

Cinder smirked. "It's not about overpowering the enemy. It's about taking away what power they have. And we will, in time."

"I hate waiting," He groaned.

"Don't worry, Mercury. We have a fun weekend ahead of us."

"Hmph. Didn't you already have your fun with Nikos in class? I was going to take on Ringo but you interfered." Emerald frowned. She only brought up this point so Cinder wouldn't question why she made no attempt to fight him like she said she would.

Mercury rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. He'll be eliminated by the time Monday rolls around. Why do you still care about him?"

Ringo was yesterday's news. They now had a new target to watch out for.

"Speaking of the experiment." Cinder brought their attention to her. "I overheard him and his little team say he was skipping the dance and instead going to Vale to meet up with someone. I've contacted the bull about this change in plans."

 _'What...?'_ Emerald blinked. She was counting on Beacon's security to protect Ringo at the time of the dance. But now that he wasn't going to be on Beacon grounds, it made him more vulnerable than ever.

"That certainly makes it easier for the bull," Mercury chuckled.

"Yes. That boy won't even know what hit him."

* * *

 **Second's Author's Note: Jaune's new hair aside, this story has been in hiatus for half a year now. I don't really have an excuse as to why I stopped other than I'm losing interest in making chapters altogether. I'm certainly past my days where I post weekly updates. I don't have the time to make chapters like I used to. I do love this story, and what motivated me to make this chapter was mostly because of the new volume hype. Not a fan of some of the new character designs, but it looks nice overall. I really like Weiss' new design, Ruby just looks more grownup, but stil pretty much the same. Blake and Yang's designs are a no for me though.**

 **I'm going to focus more on Ringo's development, as this chapter revealed more of his background. I don't want him involved in the next episode at all because it builds Blake and Yang's relationship and I don't want to ruin that. You can probably already tell I'm foreshadowing something big that's to come. I don't know when exactly the next chapter will be. I'll respond to the reviews I haven't responded to since last chapter on the next chapter too. With that said, stay tuned for the eventual update.**


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